“The tent is set up, the chair is empty. Come tell us your tale of love, pain or joy.”

The phrase is a stimulus used in “Tenda do Conto”, a name used to identify a listening space, free from judgment, that encourages people to tell their stories using an object. The initiative began to be evaluated, in practice, this Wednesday (24), as a new health care strategy at the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD). It should become a reality from April onwards for users of the Institute's Parkinson's and Adult Spinal Cord Injury clinics. 

The project uses a participatory methodology and will be carried out online by multidisciplinary preceptors and ISD residents. This Wednesday was a test of the methodology and also preparation for the professionals who will reproduce it in the virtual tent.

Tenda do Conto is a strategy developed by nurses Jacqueline Abrantes and Lourdes Oliveira, who work in Basic Health Units in Natal and sought to understand the stories behind users' health-related complaints. ISD's multi-professional psychologist preceptor, Miliana Galvão, explains that the technique that the Institute will replicate virtually consists of a cozy space like a 'home room', which allows listening, sharing and strengthening bonds between professionals and users. 

“It is a space to learn to observe, listen and also share our stories, valuing each life story. In this time of pandemic, it can also be a welcoming moment for patients, who often need and want to be heard”, said the psychologist. Tenda do Conto had already been adopted in person at ISD. Now, it will be implemented for the first time virtually as a health care strategy. 

The meetings will be fortnightly, on Wednesdays, via Google Meet, and will be mediated by preceptors and residents who work at the Parkinson's and Adult Spinal Cord Injury Clinics. 

“The tent is an inclusive space, because you don't need much to make it accessible and encourage people to talk about how this object permeates their lives and stories. Furthermore, it is an invitation to autonomy, people speak when they feel comfortable, if they do, we can stimulate each other’s understanding”, says the psychologist and student at Multiprofessional Residency in Health Care for People with Disabilities, from ISD, Giovanni Sampaio.