title: [Citizen accompaniment for community integration : a challenge for mental health ?].
abstract: APIC (Citizen Accompaniment Project for Community Integration) offers support for the social integration of people living with traumatic brain injury. The accompanying citizen meets the person three hours a week for a period of a year in order to offer assistance in the accomplishment of his/her projects and activities. This role confronts the accompanying citizen with many challenges that may put their mental health at risk. This article offers a reflection on this practice from the accompanying citizen's perspective. Five principles that can help better delimit and define citizen accompaniment are drawn from the results: 1) finding a "good distance" in the relationship to the accompanied person, 2) considering all of the actors in the process, 3) putting the accompanied person and their desires at the heart of the practice, 4) accepting not knowing everything, 5) being committed to the project and accepting it may transform you.
authors: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières; Groupe inter-réseaux de recherche sur l'adaptation de la famille et de son environnement (GIRAFE); Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR).
authors: Pierre-Yves
authors: PY
authors: Therriault
authors: Université de Montréal; GIRAFE - CRIR.
authors: Hélène
authors: H
authors: Lefebvre
authors: GIRAFE - CRIR.
authors: Andréanne
authors: A
authors: Guindon
authors: Université de Montréal; GIRAFE - CRIR.
authors: Marie-Josée
authors: MJ
authors: Levert
authors: Université de Montréal, Centre de recherche Ferdinand-Séguin.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Briand
mesh_terms: D062309:Community Integration; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D012944:Social Support