Art therapy as a therapeutic device in mental health: an experience report

This article is the result of the experiences of nursing, medicine and physical education students and tutors at the State University of Pará (UEPA), who participated in the Health Work Education Program (PET-Saúde) in Santarém. The objective of this experience report is to socialize the experiences of academics and tutors during the carrying out of educational actions within the scope of prevention and health promotion, with participants in the mental health program, in Primary Health Care, in the Uruará neighborhood, in the municipality from Santarém. This is a study with a qualitative approach, developed at UBS do Uruará, in the city of Santarém-PA. As a result, patients' adherence to the art therapy proposal, their engagement and motivation to be present at the Unit, in the days of activities, and the feeling of self-confidence and pride in the work carried out. The work developed over four months demonstrated the importance of associating art therapy in the conventional treatment of mental illnesses, constituting an effective strategy not only to ensure users' adherence to treatment, but also to help them discover themselves as capable people. and socially useful.