The objective of this study was to understand the practices and knowledge involved in group therapeutic approaches and their linkages with mental healthcare provision in a day hospital (DH) in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. This was a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. To gather data, semi-structured interviews were conducted by 14 professionals at the DH, along with systematic observation of practices. In the critical reflective analysis, convergences and divergences in the professionals' discourse and field observations were sought. From this analysis, the group therapeutic practices developed at the DH were important for individuals' psychosocial rehabilitation. The team at the DH used care provision devices such as linkage, reception, creation of co-responsibility and autonomy. In caring for subjects, the team sought to understand their complexity and subjectivity. The care provision at the DH included participation by patients' families, and this permeated the entire therapeutic project.
Day hospital; Mental health; Therapeutic group and care