CuidArte – Spazio quotidiano di cura, condivisione e creAzione

CuidArte (Spanish for “taking care of yourself”) is a project aimed at preventing and addressing youth distress in the Lower Piedmont region, with a focus on eating disorders (restrictive and compulsive).

The initiative responds to the growing mental health challenges among adolescents and young adults, employing a psychodynamic approach to treat eating disorders (EDs) as expressions of more complex psychological and relational dynamics. The intervention explores emotional, behavioral, and social dimensions contributing to distress while addressing related comorbidities such as anxiety, social withdrawal, and technology misuse, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19.

Using a semi-intensive methodology, the project operates through a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians, educators, and volunteers who provide integrated and personalized support at specific phases of the program.

Organized into quarterly modules, CuidArte employs a workshop-based methodology, offering a space for expression that resonates with youth, avoiding stigmatizing therapeutic language. Sessions are conducted in a non-medicalized setting, a social restaurant designed to meet young people’s needs, where food is not only sustenance but also holds therapeutic, social, and inclusive value.

An innovative element of the project is shared meals held twice weekly, followed by individual or group discussions and psychoeducational or creative workshops. These workshops address a range of symptoms and encourage reflection on relationships, the body, and nutrition, fostering emotional processing through expressive means. Food becomes a medium for building meaningful, interdependent relationships, addressing interpersonal dynamics in a harmonious and supportive environment.

Additionally, CuidArte offers support to families through monthly parent groups, involving them actively in their children’s care and development.

Supported by a network of local institutions and third-sector organizations, the project ensures a coordinated territorial intervention. CuidArte aims to improve not only young people’s mental health but also their social and educational integration, fostering healthier relationships and reducing risky behaviors.