Terapia Comunitária Integrativa: benefícios e desafios no contexto do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS)

Abstract

Integrative Community Therapy (ICT) is an important mental health care strategy within the context of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), especially in Primary Health Care. Therefore, this study aims to understand, based on scientific literature, the main characteristics, potentialities, and challenges of ICT within the context of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). This is an integrative review with a qualitative approach, conducted using articles published between 2010 and 2026 in the SciELO, BVS, LILACS, and CAPES Portal databases. Seven studies were selected, highlighting ICT as a practice centered on listening, the exchange of experiences, and the appreciation of community knowledge. The results indicate that ICT promotes the construction of support networks, strengthens the sense of belonging, and enhances individuals' autonomy, being understood as a mechanism of emancipatory sociability. Furthermore, it contributes to the re-signification of psychological distress by shifting it from an individual to a collective dimension. However, challenges were also identified, such as low initial user adherence, the predominance of the biomedical model, professional work overload, and lack of institutional support. Therefore, ICT has great potential as a care tool in the context of SUS, and that expanding institutional investment and valuing collective practices are necessary for its consolidation within SUS.