‘A place to be (me)’: a qualitative study on an alternative approach to treatment for persons with dual diagnosis

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims at gaining insight into an alternative approach to treatment for persons with dual diagnosis by unraveling the daily practice of Villa Voortman, a community-based meeting place in Ghent (Belgium) offering support to this group.Methods: Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with several actors: visitors, staff members, volunteers, and persons involved from outside the meeting place.Results: First, Villa Voortman was experienced as ‘a place to be’, providing visitors a possibility to feel safe and accepted, and belong to a peer group. Voluntary participation to activities is crucial to install such feeling. In time, the meeting place also becomes ‘the place to be’, as visitors start to feel at home. Secondly, it functions as ‘a place to be me’, helping participants to (re-)build their identity and become visible citizens.Conclusions: The findings are highly consistent with recovery literature and Lacanian ideas on the treatment of psychosis. Some ‘contours’ that shape the daily practice of Villa Voortman could be identified: particularizing to personal needs, having a focus on personal, social, and structural aspects of recovery and the coexistence of different discourses.