The attention to a crisis is a strategic point in the process of paradigm changes proposed by the Brazilian psychiatric reform, requiring changes in alternative services and in the professionals that must use new technologies of care. This study aimed to identify the actions of attention to a crisis in the territory and the meanings as they evolved, beginning from the discursive practices of the professionals. It was a qualitative study that used the theoretical perspective of social constructionism. From the database of the research, Evaluation of the Psychosocial Care Centers in Southern Brazil (CAPSUL), 27 interviews were analyzed from the professionals of Psychosocial Care Center for Alegrete, along with field diaries with 390 hours of observation. Results showed patient engagement/welcoming and accountability for care. We concluded that freedom, reciprocity, contractuality and responsibility for care were the new meanings needed for the alternative care services to overcome the asylum and sense of exclusion and dangerousness.