ABSTRACT:
This work is part of a project by the National Observatory of Traditional, Integrative and Complementary Knowledge and Practices in Health (ObservaPICS), aimed at primary care health professionals in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).¹ Entitled ‘Health and buen vivir: comprehensive mental health care’ in the state of Espírito Santo, the project was promoted in partnership between ObservaPICS/Fiocruz/Ministry of Health, the Espírito Santo State Health Secretariat (SESA/ES) and the Capixaba Institute for Teaching, Research and Innovation in Health (ICEPi), with aim of discussing health promotion strategies in primary care. The initiative was anchored in the local reality to promote reflections on the community's mental health problems, with a focus on self-care and comprehensive health care.² It was offered to all 78 municipalities in the state. The professionals were guided by nine tutors in a five-month hybrid course (120 hours), developed based on the active methodology of Arco de Maguerez.3,4 The training was organised into ‘student teams’, groups of professionals from the same locality, using teaching materials structured around three thematic areas: self-care, teamwork and action in the territory. In total, 185 health professionals from 46 municipalities in the state participated. Forty-eight intervention projects were developed with a focus on health promotion in the territories involved, including practices such as auriculotherapy, meditation, art therapy, herbal medicine, and community gardens.⁵ The project promoted a direct connection with the reality of the state's populations, expanding the commitment to health promotion. By valuing everyday experiences and developing skills for self-care and team care, it enabled health professionals to reflect on their role in the territory, assuming a position of co-responsibility in the transformation of health care and practices. The initiative sparked an ethical and political commitment that consolidates mental health care as a living, humane and permanent practice in the municipalities of Espírito Santo.