A queixa escolar nos ambulatórios de saúde mental da rede pública de Uberlândia: práticas e concepões dos psicólogos

Abstract

With the advent of psychologists working in public Mental Health ambulatories in the 1980´s, there was a significant increase in referrals from schools regarding problems such as behavior and discipline. Psychologists assigned to these ambulatories sought responses for theses cases by orienting families and psychotherapeutic sessions for the children, therefore leaving out school ideological mechanisms which contribute to school failure. The present study is a survey performed together with psychologists who work in the public Mental Health system in the city of Uberlândia-MG, Brasil. It aims to verify the demand of school complaints as well as the conduct and comprehension of the rofessionals to this demand. The study was based upon a historical-cultural perspective and data was obtained through audio-taped semistructured interviews of 16 psychologists assigned to 12 ambulatories, from October 2003 to November 2004. Professionals were predominately women, aged older than 30 with at least 2 years of professional experience. Files of children referred to the ambulatories since 2000 were also researched to identify procedures performed by the professionals. This study verified the existence of a high demand of school complaints among children from 5 to 13 years old. The majority of the referrals came form the schools. As for the comprehension of the complaint, it was observed that the idea that mainly emotional questions were behind the complaint and that the family was directly related to the learning difficulties of the children remained prevalent. Analysis of evaluation procedures pointed out that only 4 professionals considered it important to contact the school although they too admitted to not feeling apt to see children with this type of complaint and even believed that the ambulatory should not be responsible for these cases. The majority use undifferentiated techniques to assess all complaints, guided by a clinical reference based on drawings, observations of the child, tests and anamneses with parents. This comprehension, essentially clinic and disconnected to the school is supported by their academic training, according to the interviewees. The present study confirms data of other researches in this educational field which share the same theoretical reference here used, indicating the urgency of a curricular revision of the courses which provide academic training for psychologists in the sense of furnishing them better know-how and instruments.