Atravessamentos étnico-raciais na atuação de terapeutas ocupacionais em centros de atenção psicossocial da cidade de Salvador

Abstract

This study examines ethnic-racial relations at the intersection of Occupational Therapy and mental health, understanding racism as a historical social structure that produces psychological suffering among Black people in Brazil and affects access to, continuity of, and quality of care in public services. Despite struggles and resistance, its effects persist in people’s everyday lives, as well as across territories and institutions. As a field committed to ways of living, Occupational Therapy calls for a critical, anti-racist stance, particularly in mental health care. The study analyzes how ethnic-racial issues and their unfolding shape the practice of occupational therapists working in Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) in Salvador, Bahia. This is a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study guided by a critical and decolonial perspective, involving 14 occupational therapists from different CAPS modalities, each with at least one year of experience in the service. Data were produced through semi-structured interviews, mostly conducted remotely, audio-recorded with authorization, fully transcribed, and complemented by field notes. The analysis followed Content Analysis, resulting in four analytical categories: (1) Racism, territory, and intersectionalities as the structure of care; (2) Between silence, recognition, and action: movements of racial awareness in professional practice; (3) Professional education and institutional structures: between gaps, tensions, and (im)possibilities; and (4) Quilombamento and Afro-referenced practices as strategies of care and resistance. The findings show that racism, territory, and intersectionalities permeate the organization of care and shape possibilities for mobility, protection, and life projects. They also indicate that the racial dimension fluctuates between silencing, partial recognition, and isolated actions. In addition, gaps in professional training and institutional barriers impose limits on mainstreaming racial issues in everyday service practices. Finally, Afro-referenced practices and quilombamento movements emerge as ways of producing belonging, protection, and care in Black territories. The study concludes that sustaining racial issues as a cross-cutting dimension within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) requires ethical-political shifts in Occupational Therapy, including confronting institutional racism, strengthening the language and documentation of care, and consolidating anti-racist practices as an ongoing service policy. The study contributes to improving public policies and Occupational Therapy education, supporting ethical, anti-racist, and equity-oriented care in the field of mental health.