Serviço social e saúde mental: uma análise do trabalho profissional nos centros de atenção psicossocial de Montes Claros/MG

Abstract

This master’s dissertation in Social Work aims to understand the specificity of the work of social workers in the Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. To this end, it considers the social significance of the profession and its role in the social and technical division of labor, as well as its condition as wage labor within the capitalist context, marked by transformations in the world of work and in the forms of social production and reproduction. The research stems from academic and professional concerns, raising the initial hypothesis of a risk of decharacterization of Social Work in the field of mental health, particularly within CAPS. Methodologically, the research combines a literature review and empirical research of a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory nature. The empirical investigation was conducted through semi-structured interviews with six social workers working in four CAPS (Child, Adult III, Alcohol and Other Drugs III, and Alcohol and Other Drugs II) in Montes Claros, a reference city for mental health in Northern Minas Gerais. The results indicate that transformations in the capitalist mode of production directly impact the working class, also affecting the work of social workers. Data analysis revealed that the precarization of social policies in the contemporary neoliberal context impacts mental health policy, its professionals, and users, increasing workloads and prioritizing immediate demands. Services increasingly require a versatile professional profile, with much of the time spent on generic activities common to all professions. In this scenario, the more specific tasks of Social Work are often relegated to second or third place, when they are carried out at all. Multidisciplinary teamwork permeates all activities in CAPS. However, although it represents an important strategy in the decentralization of mental health care, this model of work can contribute to the dilution of professional specificities, especially in a context of overload with generic and immediate tasks. It was possible to identify that the recognition of the space and private attributions of social workers depends on continuous construction and a directed positioning of the professional within the team. In this context, understanding and considering their object of intervention—the expressions of the “social question” present in this field—is fundamental for social workers to avoid falling into the trap of addressing aspects of other areas that do not fall within their professional scope. This clarity about their role and field of practice is essential to contribute to the effectiveness of their intervention and the preservation of the specificities of their professional work. It is concluded that there is a continuous need to strengthen the professional identity of social workers in the field of mental health, in light of the principles of the Ethical-Political Project of the profession.