The Community of Voice in Brazil and Recovery The Community of Voice in Brazil and Recovery

Abstract

This experience report takes as its starting point the participation of the Associação Comunidade de Fala Brasil – CdF BR (Community of Speech Association Brazil) in the 15th Encontro Catarinense de Saúde Mental (Santa Catarina Mental Health Meeting), held from October 28 to 31, 2025. The Association took part in a panel session titled “The Community of Speech in Brazil – CdF and Recovery,” featuring Richard Weingarten, American journalist and founder of CdF in Brazil; Cristina Oliveira, president of the CdF BR Association; and Martha Helena Oliveira Noal, psychiatrist and supervisor of CdF in Santa Maria/RS, who served as moderator and speaker. During the session, the history of the Community of Speech in Brazil was presented, addressing its origins, principles, and methods, as well as the progress, challenges, and achievements accumulated over a decade of activity. CdF is a community-based project that brings together personal narratives, ongoing training, and interinstitutional cooperation, strengthening social participation and contributing to the promotion of recovery in mental health. It is a report on a journey that began as a local practice and evolved into a living network of education and empowerment. In this dynamic, recovery is revealed not only as an individual process of overcoming adversity but also as a communal one, sustained by hope, belonging, and the transformative power of speech.