Work as a therapeutic resource: Case study of a rehabilitation community for persons with chemical dependency

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Studies involving the therapeutic nature of the work done by chemically dependent individuals undergoing treatment in therapeutic communities are scarce, not only in Brazil, but also in the international literature.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role played by work as a therapeutic element for patients who are undergoing treatment in a drug-free therapeutic community setting in Brazil. Clients are free to choose their occupations during treatment, that exercise their creativity and their responsability for their recovery.

METHOD: The Biographical Method was employed in two case studies.

CONCLUSIONS: The approach adopted by the community enabled clients to recognize how they became chemically dependent, as well as their possibilities for recovery. Clients expanded their interests and their daily activities that were once exclusively directed towards the consumption of drugs. Their personal development improved through their contact with reality through work activities, in the context of a therapeutic community. From there, clients were increasingly able to plan and execute life projects aimed at their full recovery.