To Josep,

About fifteen years ago, we met at a conference you were presiding over in Barcelona. I still remember your warm welcome and discovering a large number of shared references and values, from François Tosquelles to Henri Ey. You denounced the excesses of an ultra-liberal and postmodern medicine to defend a humanistic approach centered on the individual and their environment. A strong friendship quickly developed between us, and professional exchanges continued to grow between the Catalan Congress of Mental Health (CCSM) and the Association of Psychiatrists Presidents of CME (ANPCME), as well as with the Association for the Henri Ey Foundation (APFHEY). Joint interventions multiplied in France, Germany, and Catalonia to try to build a European mental health movement around the values of the Nice Charter. You were in Strasbourg a few weeks ago to prepare for a future meeting in Barcelona. You strongly defended a «European movement for dignity, accessibility, and continuity in mental health... A movement open to mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses) who advocate for a space of help and assistance that respects the dignity of those suffering, based on the principles of accessibility and continuity necessary for a therapeutic relationship process... »You have come to Thuir often and have largely contributed to strengthening professional ties on both sides of the Pyrenees.

Beyond the colleague, I also think of the citizen, their preserved capacity for righteous indignation, their commitment to a more just society.
But today, I'm mainly thinking of my friend, so thoughtful, so interested in everything, so discreet yet so attentive and available when called upon. We communicated in a mix of French, Catalan, and Spanish, and we had made it a habit to help each other translate our respective texts. If I already miss your voice on the phone, so familiar, peaceful, and warm, I know, Pep, that you will always be there in my thoughts…

In these difficult times, I wanted to extend my friendly thoughts, and those of the Association and the National Conference of CME Presidents, to his wife, David, his family, his loved ones, and his friends.

Dr. Charles Alezrah
Thuir Hospital Center
Honorary President of ANPCME
Former Vice-President of the National Conference of CME Presidents
Secretary General of the Henri Ey Foundation Association