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Daily Work in a Home with Non-Working People: A Continuous Search Process

The ideology of vzw Albe (a non profit organisation) is based on institutional psychotherapy (IP). A brief history of the institution explains why IP was chosen as a model. The authors link concrete everyday experiences with some basic principles. First of all they explain the principle of free circulation, giving an example of how different spaces can be created to enable freedom of movement. Another important principle is heterogeneity, meaning diversity in location, pathology, personnel and activities. The next issue treated in the paper is how to be present in everyday life. Finally the writers give an insight in an actual workshop to demonstrate how all these attitudes, as described above, are combined in an IP workshop. Throughout the discussion it becomes apparent that linking IP theory with its practical application is an ongoing process. The principles of IP and the ideas behind it are often considered to be complicated, however observing an IP workshop reveals a poetic simplicity.