The best form of therapy is a day at the seaside on Granada's Costa Tropical

Armed with rucksacks, diving goggles and swimming costumes, the group settled into the sun loungers to enjoy the day. Under a parasol sat Alonso González, the unit’s clinical psychologist, who explained what this unit entails.

The facility where the service users are based is situated in a detached house near the health technology park in Granada’s southern health district. “We sought to create what we call a therapeutic environment, so that service users perceive us as approachable and familiar,” he said. He went on to say that often the most difficult part is getting the person to build a bond of trust that enables therapeutic work to take place.

According to Alonso, around twenty service users referred from various mental health services visit the centre every day. They are typically people experiencing mental health conditions and difficulties with activities of daily living. “We try to help patients build a life that is worth living," Alonso said.

The daily routine is very well organised. Mornings are mainly devoted to group therapy sessions, led by the psychiatrist and the clinical psychologist with nursing staff taking part. After a short break for fruit, there are physical activities, such as a health walk, as well as cognitive stimulation workshops, such as the current affairs session, where this newspaper is read and then discussed. On Wednesdays, it’s cooking time: a recipe is suggested and one resident, accompanied by a member of staff, takes charge of preparing it while the rest help out.

Added to all this is the music workshop, a session held once a week for two hours with an instructor, during which participants play instruments, create rhythms and compose songs that they then perform at small concerts. According to nurse Aureliano Moreno, this is one of the workshops the participants enjoy most, because as well as being entertaining, it helps to focus their attention and boost their motivation and makes them feel useful.

Physical wellbeing is also prioritised, with a healthy lifestyle workshop aimed at preventing metabolic syndrome and something Moreno highlights as essential: listening, understanding and showing care. “Above all, we try to get them to form a group and interact with one another, because they tend to isolate themselves,” he explained.

When summer arrives, leisure and recreational activities take centre stage, and two trips to the Granada coast are organised, usually taking place in July and August, although this year the weather has caused a delay to one of them.

Belén Martín was one of the first to go into the water. She attends the URSM twice a week and also takes part in activities at another centre. She said that during the week they never miss out on the activities: games, walks, cinema, the current affairs workshop… “In previous years we’ve played pétanque and other games, but this year we’ve focused less on that, although we’ve still done quite a lot.” Speaking about the day at the beach, she said the weather was on their side, although the water, for her, was “very cold”.

Daniel Rodríguez explained that he visits the URSM every day. During the week, he looks after the vegetable garden on the premises and also does yoga and Pilates, although he admits that some activities are more difficult for him due to a health problem.

The initiative is not solely the work of the rehabilitation unit. Together with the therapeutic community, which is also based at San Cecilio, the unit it forms part of a wider programme of therapeutic outings and leisure activities outside the healthcare setting, designed to support patients’ recovery process.

While the summer is set aside for trips to the beach, the rest of the year is filled with walking routes, visits to museums and exhibitions and concerts. The programme combines short outings in Granada city centre such as a visit to a café, a stroll or an ice-cream parlour, with longer trips to other towns, particularly in summer.

According to Alonso these outings are much more than just a day out. For many service users, leaving the healthcare setting presents a challenge: changing their routine, navigating an unfamiliar environment, and putting themselves out there. “Everyone might think that going to the beach is a leisure activity we all want to do, but for them it means facing a real change,” he explained.

This view is shared by Erika Novoa, an occupational therapist at the therapeutic community, who explains that there is a very specific therapeutic aim behind these outings: to apply what is practised in therapy to everyday life. Social skills, money management, using public transport, emotional regulation, problem-solving...all of these are practised, almost without realising it, while strolling through a village or walking on the sand. “These activities allow us to work on aspects that form part of the therapeutic process in a more normalised setting, while also encouraging service users to play an active role and interact with their peers outside the institutional context.”

Erika Novoa, who has been promoting this kind of initiative for 35 years, explains, "It's not just about having that experience and seeing how their emotional states change. We come back feeling very happy because of the laughter, the shared trust and the satisfaction of having been part of it and seeing that this emotion lasts over time gives them a little boost to carry on with their daily lives.”

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