EXECUTING THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY APPROACH “TALE TENT” IN PRIMARY CARE UNIT IN PARNAMIRIM, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE STATE, BRAZIL

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The Tale Tent is a therapeutic community approach which intends to promote health, recognize individuals’ singularity, by sharing their experiences, values, learnings and cultural identities, building a space for forming and strenghening bonds. It consists of a caring tool which allows social networking and prevent mental suffering by individual-centered approach, rather than disease-centered, contributing to amplified clinical practice. This abstract aims to report experience of a Tale Tent in Boa Esperança primary care unit, Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, in October 2015. METHODS: Qualitative work, experience report. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In the aforementioned primary care unit, an elderly group gathered and each one brought an item of sentimental value, put in a table which had been decorated with symbolic objects, and afterwards told a story about it. It was a notable moment of emotion, during which all participants saw the importance of hearing others’ stories and telling their own. The Tale Tent united even more the elderly group and the health team at Boa Esperança primary care unit. Furthermore, it showed its value as a community approach tool capable of qualified listening, contributing to health system optimization and bonds strenghening between patients and health workers.