Théâtre et soin

The T.E.S. project aimed to build on the projects carried out in France and Belgium by each of the two partners to conduct a critical observation of the artistic approaches developed in healthcare...

The T.E.S. project aimed to build on the projects carried out in France and Belgium by each of the two partners to conduct a critical observation of the artistic approaches developed in healthcare settings, to understand their driving forces, and to outline their contours, conditions, and effects, taking into account the expertise of each of the actors involved. The challenge was, on the one hand, to strengthen our own skills through this exchange and, on the other hand, to produce a series of videos that illustrate these practices and their effects and provide tools for those who wish to engage in this type of artistic intervention or are already involved in it. The concurrent objective was to widely disseminate the knowledge and resources produced in order to contribute to the development of unique alliances between artistic teams and healthcare institutions for the better inclusion of vulnerable people.

Five complementary activities were implemented as part of the T.E.S. project: - Project management and coordination, and the development of rigorous methodological principles to evaluate its impact. - Implementation of innovative patient support approaches through the use of artistic practice by each of the partners. - Mutual learning between partners by sharing best practices and each other's strengths to enrich the project and build skills. - Promotion of the expertise of each of the actors involved: artists, patients, caregivers, and institutional leaders on these approaches and their effects. - The development and provision of tools and resources to facilitate the application of the skills acquired in other contexts and their dissemination at the European level.

Two opportunities for partners to exchange practices took place during theater and writing workshops offered in France at the Valvert Psychiatric Hospital Center and in Belgium at CATS (addiction treatment center), which enabled both teams to significantly improve their skills. Two knowledge-sharing sessions, open to the public, were also organized: a round table discussion on theater and mental health attended by stakeholders involved in the projects developed at the Valvert Hospital Center by Le Facteur Indépendant (artists, patients, caregivers), and a seminar on the therapeutic tools of Théâtre & Réconciliation. All of the patients and caregivers surveyed considered the experience to be positive. The educational content produced from the exchanges of practice and knowledge (three videos and one podcast) was widely distributed via the Vimeo platform and social media. The entire program has been viewed 1,934 times. Two operations to disseminate the results were proposed by each of the organizations. Fifty-four people participated in these operations and considered them useful in their own professional practice.