Aquatherapy in a pool and sauna environment is a therapeutic method that uses water to support the treatment of mental health problems through a variety of exercises and relaxation techniques. It takes place in our swimming pool and sauna, which are located on the underground level of the Mental Rehabilitation Centre.
It is a group activity, which nevertheless takes into account an individual approach. During this activity, patients not only swim, but also get the opportunity to develop their basic swimming skills to help them:
- Breathing correctly in place and in motion.
- Learn the basic positions of floating on the stomach and back.
- Developing water awareness on the wading surfaces of the arms and legs.
- With the coordination of the body in space alone and in pairs.
- Overcoming discomfort and anxiety in specific situations such as falls or jumps into the water.
- To master the ability to relax and release muscle tension in the floating position.
- Improve breaststroke, crawl, stroke and possibly butterfly swimming techniques with a focus on improving breathing and its coordination with movement, rotation and body position.
Through the activities described above, patients can develop their overall physical fitness in the form of improved motor skills, muscular speed, strength, agility and endurance. In this context, the course of therapy is guided by the rules of control and development of load in the aquatic environment using the principles of FITT (determination of frequency, intensity, rest interval and type of exercise). The control of load intensity is ensured using the Polar Verity Sense heart rate monitoring device.
A sauna is available during each session. Its use is voluntary and serves primarily to warm up the body more thoroughly, relax the muscles and induce personal mental well-being. The air temperature is always adjusted to suit most patients.
Therapy leader. Daniel Jurák, Ph.D., with the help of colleagues Zdeněk Karala and Anhelina Boichuk
Movement therapy is a combination of physiotherapeutic approaches and active exercise. It is ideal for chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions and is also an effective preventive tool. The programme includes basic diagnostics, selected compensatory or strengthening exercises and, where appropriate, homework exercises.
The difficulty is always individually adapted, ranging from quiet exercise to a serious workout. In addition, clients can choose whether (for example, due to the weather or their personal mood) they wish to exercise inside the Mental Rehabilitation Centre or outside.
Head of therapy. Ondřej Pavlovič, Ph.D.; Bc. Filip Měchura; Mgr. Jana Hiršová and Bc. Monika Lukášová
Fitness therapy offers training programs with an individual approach, which are always tailored to the needs of patients so that the intensity of exercise best suits their capabilities. There is a wide range of activities to choose from, such as exercises on machines or with free weights, functional training in the form of a CrossFit fitness program or various forms of aerobic activities.
Fitness therapy also offers holistic lifestyle advice and health optimisation - for example, in the form of circadian rhythm comparison, setting the right diet or taking supplements.
Examples of workouts:
- Sports DNS (physio exercises on machines, pulleys or using free weights).
- CrossFit workouts (functional movements in intensity).
- Aerobic activity that leads to shaping breathing technique and increasing aerobic capacity (running, rowing, spinning, jump rope, etc.).
- According to the client's needs (e.g. support in improving weightlifting technique, etc.).
Head of therapy. Filip Měchura
Art therapy (art therapy) is a form of therapy that uses art to support both treatment and self-development and growth, helping to overcome and integrate mental and medical difficulties through the creative process. All of this takes place in a client-creation-art therapist relationship.
It is therefore a field that uses artistic expression as the main means of cognition and influence on the human psyche in the direction of reducing the symptoms of psychological or psychosomatic difficulties and thus alleviating, for example, conflicts in interpersonal relationships. At the Mental Rehabilitation Centre, patients meet with other clients mainly in various group sessions, including:
Creative Activities Therapy offers patients the opportunity to create according to their own ideas. They can try painting on canvas, drawing with crayons, painting with watercolours, watercolours, wax, tempera or ink. There are no limits to creativity, so clients can also start making collages or otherwise experiment artistically. The goal is always to express oneself artistically in our modern and cosy studio. Patients can keep their creations if they wish.
Patients engage in painting, drawing or working with ceramic clay, drawing on their personal stories. This creative process has a therapeutic overlay and follows the basic rules of therapeutic work. The resulting creations are not evaluated and are treated as valuable information that patients provide to the therapist, for example through collage, painting, drawing or a ceramic clay product. Together, they then explore the context of the client's life story that brought them to the Mental Rehabilitation Centre and gradually work on remediation.
- Art therapy with ceramic clay
The need for touch persists throughout life, and clay mediates people's touch with themselves. Thanks to its sculptural properties, it can stimulate a present energy that can be transformed and continuously transformed into its intended form. In fact, clay is one of the artistic means that has a great capacity to reflect our self-perception. The three-dimensional expression allows us to look at the sculpted object from all sides, to feel it and thus get to know it better. The process of creation itself is significant, related to the life story of the patients. The resulting work can either be preserved or the creators can return it to its original form in the form of a lump of clay.
Head of therapy. Draga Čermáková and Mgr. Dra Draga Čermáková and Drama Draga Čermáková, Prof. Veronika Vodičková
Music therapy uses music and its elements (rhythm, melody and harmony) as the main tool for communication and therapy, focusing more on the client's personal experience than on their artistic skills. Music allows for easier and more effective access to deeper levels of human experience where it works directly. The specific way in which this can happen is highly individual and depends on the specific needs and goals of each client.
The most common experiences are in the form of emotional saturation, support in difficult situations, release of accumulated psychological tension (abreaction) or strong emotions (catharsis) and personal transformation (restructuring).
Music therapy involves therapeutic encounters on two levels:
Basic, in which patients primarily experience or learn:
- Listening to and analyzing music.
- The possibility of playing familiar and unfamiliar musical instruments.
- Playing and singing together.
- Basic abreaction and catharsis techniques.
- Basic music and relaxation techniques.
- Fundamentals of free movement (this is spontaneous physical expression as a means for emotional, psychological and physical healing).
Advanced level offers:
- Therapeutic listening and analysis of music.
- Development of psychosocial skills.
- Advanced abreaction and catharsis techniques.
- Advanced music-relaxation techniques.
- Therapeutic work with clients' personal issues.
Head of therapy. Zdeněk Maté and Mgr. et Mgr. Mgr. Zdeněk Drahoš
Theatre therapy (also known as dramatherapy) is a psychotherapeutic method using theatre techniques and dramatic processes to promote personal growth and emotional healing. In this concept, theatre is seen as a tool for exploring the world where, under the guidance of a therapist, patients can experience the process of dramatic creation and thus step onto "the boards that mean the world". The focus of therapy can be on the preparation of the dramatic text and the acting itself, as well as on the process of theatre creation and the actual performance.
Head of therapy. Ing. Mgr. Mgr. Irena Žantovská, Ph.D.
For each creative complementary therapy, patients can choose from a variety of specific complementary activities that include the following:
Activities in the ceramics workshop can have both a rehabilitative and relaxing effect on patients through the non-violent development of sensory perception, self skill, use of fine motor skills and personal concentration. Working with clay can eliminate tension and aggression. Another benefit is the positive stimulation of the fingers and hands and the restoration of both physical strength and emotional and psychological capacity.
In the ceramics workshop, patients can create a product from the actual sculpting to the final finishing by glazing and firing in the kiln. There is also a potter's wheel on which any kind of ceramic product can be rolled out. Clients can keep the finished creation for themselves or perhaps gift it to a loved one.
Barbora Janoušková and Mgr. Barbora Janoušková and Barbora Janoušková, Barbora Janoušková and Veronika Vodičková
Like any creative activity, sewing also promotes calming, relaxation and relaxation. Patients have a wide range of sewing tools and instruments at their disposal, with the help of which they can make their own decoration or an original piece of wardrobe.
Sewing on the machine primarily teaches patience, care and concentration, as well as co-ordination, as it requires multiple activities to be carried out at the same time involving the hands and feet. The textile workshop also offers hand sewing or embroidery, as well as the opportunity to finish the product with the help of textile paints. Clients learn to sew their own shopping bag, crossbody bag, phone case, book cover, etc. They can take their product away or give it to someone close to them and make them happy.
Therapy leader. Veronika Stará
- Crochet and knitting workshop
Patients who are closer to knitting and crocheting can try a variety of different textile crafts. These include knitting with needles, finger knitting, crocheting, scrubbing (macramé), weaving (karetka), embroidery (cross stitch, realistic, sewn lace), beading or the handmade tapiko (tapestry) technique. Again, creative activity promotes calming, relaxation and relaxation in people.
Just choose the material in your favourite colour, the processing technique and determine what will be the result of your efforts. By creating repetitive patterns (for example, knitting in the knitting stitch), one can induce a state of flow, a level of complete concentration that has meditative and calming effects. Complicated or new patterns, in turn, force total concentration, where clients must, for example, count stitches, check the diagram of the pattern, and generally concentrate completely on the work. The mind is then left with no room for anything else, making it a very effective way to calm down for those who cannot stop the flow of thoughts.
In this creative activity, the strength of the tightening reflects the clients' emotional attunement and can be an excellent tool for releasing tension and processing emotions. The advantage is that clients see the result of their work immediately and it is ideal if the finished product has some use - for example, for their own use or as a gift or charity project. Which brings a sense of meaning and fulfilment.
Head of therapy. Bc. Zuzana Rothanzlová, DT
This is a group playing of board games of your choice. There are word, strategy, card, observation, knowledge, competitive and cooperative games, from very simple to more difficult, including games for one.
Board games help especially with the development of fine motor skills and concentration, during which it is easy to relax and also have fun. Patients can experience a good sense of teamwork, creativity, resilience and the ability to accept defeat. Board games are held on the ward or in the Mental Rehabilitation Centre library.
Therapy leader.
Česky
