Psychosocial care centers and professional training for the provision of integrative and complementary practices: a study with professionals offering these services

Studies of training in integrative and complementary practices have concentrated on the analysis of the curriculums of health courses and further more in-depth research into professionals’ perceptions about training processes is needed. This study aimed to identify training processes and capacity building for professionals who offer integrative and complementary practices in psychosocial care centers in a metropolitan region. We conducted an exploratory descriptive study involving semi-structured interviews with 45 professionals. The interview transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. The most common routes taken by the professionals were post-graduate qualifications, degrees, in-service training and private education. The results reveal that training in this area was diffuse. Our results can inform the development of educational strategies for the organization of human resources in the area of integrative and complementary practices.

Keywords
Complementary therapies; In-service training; Continuous education; Mental health services; Health personnel