Mental health problems: Inclusion is the answer

pro mente Upper Austria: Help for clients with psychological problems....

A psychiatric disease is not a fate to which one has to resign. More than one out of four persons all over this world are facing problems of the mind. pro mente Upper Austria runs roughly 150 facilities providing assistance in the province of Upper Austria.   For more than 45 years pro mente Upper Austria, Association for Mental and Social Health, has provided counselling and care for persons suffering from mental health problems, with a staff of almost 1500 professional employees and an additional 260 volunteers. An average number of approximately 30 000 persons contact a facility of pro mente Upper Austria. The services provided are free of cost for the clients.   Counselling, housing, work and leisure The activities of pro mente Upper Austria include counselling for persons with mental health and social problems and also for their relatives. In addition a number of different facilities in Upper Austria provide further assistance with regard to housing, work and leisure as well as addiction. A central aim is to facilitate the integration into local communities of persons with mental problems. This focus is placed on the provision of services in or near the hometowns of clients.   Prevention and crisis intervention Information and prevention activities help to stop the development of psychiatric problems before they become manifest. What is of central importance in this respect is telephone hotlines and personal assistance in times of mental crises. Our psychosocial emergency hotline is available around the clock.   Empowerment – the promotion of independence Our staff help clients to discover their strenghts and to take an active part in shaping their lives. Knowledge and tools are given which allow them to understand their situation and make decisions for themselves. Persons with mental health problems are often being discriminated and experience social exclusion. Empowerment means that they learn how to handle their affairs themselves as they become aware of their capabilities, develop skills and make use of their individual and collective resources in order to lead independent lives.   pro mente Upper Austria’s areas of activity Crisis support First aid in psychosocial emergency situations   Psychosocial counselling Developing solutions - Coping strategies for crises - Health promotion   Housing Accompanying people in need of psychosocial support through everyday life   Mobile care and assistance On-the-spot help and assistance for people with mental health problems   Vocational Integration Work and occupation give self-convidence and security   Skill-oriented activity Testing one´s skills - Developing a positive outlook on life   Leisure and communication Leisure club Experiencing greater variety and gaining a foothold in society   Clubhouse Empowerment means speaking and joining the decision making   Youth Going a part of the way together   Addiction Low-threshold institutions Outpatient addiction counselling centres Integration centres and Erlenhof therapy centre   Addiction prevention Putting research into practice   Voluntary work Building a bridge to normality and reality   Geropsychiatry Support for people suffering from dementia and their families   Seminar culture Wesenufer