Psychosocial Care Centers (Caps) were established as a result of the demand for Mental Health care and were an attempt to update psychiatric treatment for those afflicted with severe mental disorders. This article seeks to analyze subjective repercussions of work conducted in Caps on mid-level professionals and to contribute to healthcare planning. Two focal groups were conducted with workers of a Caps III. The methodology applied to the analysis was based on the critical hermeneutical approach proposed by Ricoeur and espoused by Gadamerian philosophy. Lack of appreciation in the workplace was revealed as being the main cause of suffering. Several themes stood out including the difficulty of obtaining the cooperation of users'; relatives, the tenuous interconnection between Caps and the health network, the attribution of responsibility for the night shift, controversies regarding overnight-stay patients and an excessive workload. Adequate structural planning and institutional organization is proposed when opening new Caps in order to reduce the workload of technicians and improve the clinical performance of the team.
Evaluative research; Mental health; Health policies; Health planning; Narrative; Hermeneutics