Villa Voortman : carte blanche or not?

Purpose - Influenced by evolutions in mental health, a meeting house, "Villa Voortman", was recently developed. It is based on an integration of therapeutic community (TC) and psychoanalytical Lacanian thinking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the position of Villa Voortman in the treatment continuum for dually diagnosed clients. Two research questions are addressed: how does Villa Voortman operate ? and how do clients perceive the Villa? Design/methodology/approach - The first question was tackled by a personal account of the founders of Villa Voortman. The second question was addressed by a qualitative study using video-material of 19 visitors' personal accounts. Findings - The visitors mentioned three themes: social inclusion, personal development and equality. These aspects are further refined into sub-themes including the provision of "asylum"; the instalment of a warm and welcoming atmosphere; the focus on real human encounter; a permissive, supportive and "waiting" environment; a minimal but "good enough" structure; the necessity of a place where persons can develop themselves; the striving for social inclusion and future perspectives; and the support in becoming inclusive citizens again. Originality/value - The value of the paper lies in disclosing the visitors' lived experience. This is an essential part of shedding light on the "active ingredients" of support, In reference to the title, visitors nor treatment staff have "carte blanche" with regard to how support develops, as this is driven by the dialectal course of everything that occurs during the support process

Opening up the black box of recovery processes in persons with complex mental health needs : a qualitative study of place-making dynamics in a low-threshold meeting place

Background: The recovery processes of persons with complex mental health needs take a slow and unpredictable course. Despite the fact that a number of essential building blocks of recovery in this population have been identified (e.g. social relationships, treatment, personal beliefs), the actual process of recovery in persons with complex mental health needs largely remains a black box. The aim of this study was to gain insight into how the recovery processes of persons with complex mental health needs take place, by applying a relational geographical approach and scrutinizing the place-making dynamics of one low-threshold meeting place in Belgium engaging with this group. Methods: Data collection took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by means of 11 in-depth interviews with different involved actors (service users, staff members, volunteers) and analyzed thematically. Results: Results showed how the daily practice of the meeting place is continuously reproduced through placemaking rituals that create an inclusive space of hospitality, are fueled by creative processes and form an indispensable counterweight for service users’ mental health needs. Conclusions: To further open up the ‘black box’ of recovery in persons with complex mental health needs, it is vital to focus our analytic gaze onto recovery as a dynamic and relational practice

De ondersteuning van personen met een dubbele diagnose (psychose en drugproblemen) in Villa Voortman, een ontmoetingsplaats in de stad

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