BOGOR, WEST JAVA — Negative stigma against survivors of mental disabilities continues to exist in society. In fact, just like people with other illnesses, survivors of mental disabilities can also recover with support and assistance from the people around them.
For rehabilitation patients, support and guidance are crucial to help them recover, enabling them to resume their social functions in daily life.
To this end, Dompet Dhuafa, through the Community Service Institution (LPM), organized Recreational Therapy for individuals with mental disabilities at Telaga Rusa Outbound, Ciseeng, Bogor Regency, on Monday (October 13, 2025).
This activity, which was attended by 50 participants from the Jiwa Layang Foundation and the Indonesian Schizophrenia Care Community (KPSI), is part of the Mental Disability Assistance Program of LPM Dompet Dhuafa. This program provides support for people with mental disabilities.
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“As part of the mental disability therapy method, through this Recreational Therapy we want to provide a new atmosphere in their therapy activities. So that they can also meet and make friends with their peers from other groups, so that they can be more confident in getting to know other people and no longer close themselves off,” said Kamaludin, Head of LPM Dompet Dhuafa.
Meanwhile, Salamiyah, administrator of the Jiwa Layang Foundation, said that Recreational Therapy is one of the most needed therapy methods for survivors.
“Various activities in recreational therapy are beneficial for helping to train survivors’ cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills. Here, they meet new friends, so they need to remember their friends’ names. Then, from a psychomotor perspective, this trains them to be creative and take initiative. From an affective perspective, it trains their emotions in every activity they do in this program,” she said.
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On the other hand, Yuda Aditya, a survivor of mental disability who participated in recreational therapy, showed enthusiasm and happiness during the activity. For Yuda, recreational therapy allowed him to build relationships with new friends from other groups and trained him to cooperate in every activity he did.
The Recreational Therapy activity began with a psychodrama performance by representatives from the Jiwa Layang Foundation. Then, the activity continued with various fun activities such as passing balls, tug-of-war, archery, flying fox, and fishing.
After this activity, Kamaludin hopes that survivors will be more confident and able to improve their social functioning so that they can dispel the negative stigma surrounding them in society.
“The hope is that survivors with mental disabilities can regain their place in society by demonstrating their ability to perform their social functions. So that they are no longer feared or ostracized,” he concluded. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Shinta Fitrotun N, LPM
Editor: Dhika