To read this content please select one of the options below:

Villa Voortman: carte blanche or not?

Stijn Vandevelde (Department of Special Needs Education, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium AND Faculty of Health, Education and Social Work, University College Ghent, Ghent, Belgium)
Jessica De Maeyer (Faculty of Education, Health and Social Work, University College Ghent, Ghent, Belgium)
Clara De Ruysscher (Department of Special Education (Orthopedagogics), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.)
Dirk Bryssinck (Villa Voortman, Psychiatric Centres Sleidinge, Sleidinge, Belgium.)
Dirk Meesen (Villa Voortman, Psychiatric Centres Sleidinge, Sleidinge, Belgium.)
Johan Vanderstraeten (Villa Voortman, Psychiatric Centres Sleidinge, Sleidinge, Belgium.)
Eric Broekaert (Department of Special Needs Education, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.)

Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities

ISSN: 0964-1866

Article publication date: 8 June 2015

102

Abstract

Purpose

Influenced by evolutions in mental health, a meeting house, “Villa Voortman”, was recently developed. It is based on an integration of therapeutic community (TC) and psychoanalytical Lacanian thinking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the position of Villa Voortman in the treatment continuum for dually diagnosed clients. Two research questions are addressed: how does Villa Voortman operate ? and how do clients perceive the Villa?

Design/methodology/approach

The first question was tackled by a personal account of the founders of Villa Voortman. The second question was addressed by a qualitative study using video-material of 19 visitors’ personal accounts.

Findings

The visitors mentioned three themes: social inclusion, personal development and equality. These aspects are further refined into sub-themes including the provision of “asylum”; the instalment of a warm and welcoming atmosphere; the focus on real human encounter; a permissive, supportive and “waiting” environment; a minimal but “good enough” structure; the necessity of a place where persons can develop themselves; the striving for social inclusion and future perspectives; and the support in becoming inclusive citizens again.

Originality/value

The value of the paper lies in disclosing the visitors’ lived experience. This is an essential part of shedding light on the “active ingredients” of support, In reference to the title, visitors nor treatment staff have “carte blanche” with regard to how support develops, as this is driven by the dialectal course of everything that occurs during the support process.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the participants/visitors of Villa Voortman for disclosing their personal views and thoughts.

Citation

Vandevelde, S., De Maeyer, J., De Ruysscher, C., Bryssinck, D., Meesen, D., Vanderstraeten, J. and Broekaert, E. (2015), "Villa Voortman: carte blanche or not?", Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 62-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/TC-12-2013-0035

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles