In 1996, Dr. Isern, Lluís Isern, invited me to participate in a group that was preparing what would be the 1st Catalan Congress on Mental Health, which would address the topic “What is Mental Health?” from an interdisciplinary and community perspective. The proposal seemed very interesting to me, and I collaborated intensely from the very beginning.
From the Platform era, prior to the establishment of the Foundation, which Lluís Isern led with great energy, conviction, and empathy, I recall: the Preliminary Conferences where the characteristics and content of the future foundation were being defined. The 1st Congress, integrating different disciplines, in which Dr. B. Saraceno participated, among others, with a significant ideological impact, and at which Agustí de Semir, a convinced advisor and promoter of the Foundation's project, said at the closing: “The path is made from the present, with the unattainable utopia as our horizon.” The Conference “The Why of War?”. The signing by the four professional colleges, which seemed like a very exceptional event to me, and the creation of the CCSM Foundation with very well-defined programmatic bases.
Throughout the Foundation's trajectory, working groups have, in a way, been the gestation spaces for new ideas and proposals. From the beginning, the “my group” ”Conceptualization of Mental Health,” which Dr. Clusa led from the preliminary workshops, regularly continued its work in preparation for all the congresses. It was a very productive space, valued by all its members. The congresses, each with relevant and innovative themes for reflecting on Mental Health and its care, led to the most recent one: “Migrations, Exile, and Refuge. Human Rights and Mental Health,” which was impressive for its content and examples, and served as a heartfelt tribute to Pep Clusa, a part of the Foundation's soul.
The presidents of the Foundation for the first 20 years, Dr. Àngels Vives and Dr. Josep Clusa, each in their own way, have been extraordinary, brave, and idealistic within the project that the Foundation had designed. With a deep understanding of the reality of MS in our country and extensive experience fighting to improve care from within the centers themselves, they conceived new themes and perspectives for the Foundation's activities, and represented it significantly in political, professional, and social spheres. At the same time, in numerous meetings and committees, their communication and relational skills facilitated effective solutions for the entity's progress. They, along with many of the trustees, have contributed over twenty years to developing the Foundation's objectives and ideals through the organization of conferences, working groups, publications, and collaboration with various organizations, among many other activities.
Victor Marti, an expert in SM and Director of the Foundation, is the stable, welcoming, respectful, and practical figure who, at times, during discussions and evaluations of disparate or repetitive topics, objectives, or approaches, helps to “bring us back to reality” and frees us from the toxicity of some situations. He is the linchpin of the Foundation's administrative and management structure, supported by Neus Garcia.
The Foundation, for as long as I've known it, has appealed to me because it has never been too much of an “institution” in the sense that it has effectively and kindly fulfilled its objectives, avoiding excessive rules and rigidity, sparing its members unnecessary information and consultations, or creating competitive situations. In this way, work capacity, mutual recognition, and friendship have marked the dynamics of relationships.
The immense work carried out over these 20 years is reflected in many of the Foundation's events and documents, and most especially in the impact it has had on our experiences and memories, and in the joy of having participated in this project which, without a doubt, has nourished us and connected us with greater health and commitment to the reality of Mental Health.
Teresa Rossell
Patroness of the FCCSM