BASAGLIAN APPROACH IN A THERAPEUTIC RESIDENCE FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED YOUTH: A PILOT PROJECT

Abstract

The aim of this study is to report the experience of implementing a therapeutic residence designed for young people with a history of institutionalization, conceived based on the approach of Italian democratic psychiatry, as part of a deinstitutionalization process of a child and adolescent psychiatric unit. This is a qualitative study, with a descriptive and narrative character, conducted through an action research strategy, developed in three stages: (1) theoretical training of the staff; (2) creation of a transitional house; and (3) implementation of a pilot therapeutic residence in the community. The data produced in the researcher’s field diary were subjected to thematic content analysis, organized into analytical categories. Deinstitutionalization emerged as a dynamic process, marked by challenges on multiple levels. At the macro level, management barriers, the absence of a consolidated mental health policy as a State policy, and infrastructure problems that compromise service management were highlighted. At the micro level, issues related to team work processes, the ambience of the service as a place of residence, and the coexistence of good practices with others still shaped by a psychiatrizing logic were observed. The experience analyzed demonstrates that, in light of Italian democratic psychiatry, it is possible to deconstruct the asylum paradigm and build forms of care based on freedom, human connection, and the recognition of each individual’s uniqueness, even though this process involves tensions, resistance, and constant reinvention in the daily life of services.