Day Centre

Monday - Friday 13.00-19.00 - e-mail: [email protected] - Tel.: +30 210 7663007

A Day Centre constitutes the nodal structure of a complete psychiatric services system that provides psycho-social support in the community, for patients who suffer from a serious and chronic mental illness. The overall operation of a Day Centre is based on three main principles. Firstly, it provides its services to patients and their families within the community and plays an active role in educating the whole of the community on issues related to mental illness. Secondly, it offers a wide range of services, provided by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and volunteers in order to cover the complex and differentiated needs of its members, their families and the local community. Thirdly, it provides a continuous, global, comprehensive and individual therapy plan for each individual member in collaboration with other community mental health services that a member might use.

The philosophy of S.O.P.S.I.'s Day Centre (SDC) is based on the concept of the "Therapeutic Community", where its members play an active and equally important role in the overall operation of the center. In such a therapeutic frame the spirit of team-work and the ideals of acceptance and respect of the needs of others are fostered, alongside with the promotion of self-determination and overall autonomy via the re-education in a supportive environment.

The two main aims of SDC are the social rehabilitation and the autonomy of its members. For the achievement of these objectives the activities and the interventions of SDC are focused on the individual-patient and his/her family, as well as on the community.

The goals of the SDC at the individual-patient level are, to provide a global and comprehensive individual therapeutic plan for each member aiming to increase the effectiveness of the existing treatment and to prevent future relapses, to ensure compliance with the drugs through psycho-education, to provide a supportive environment for the improvement of the overall functionality and social dexterities of its members and to offer psychological support to its members and their families.

The objectives of the SDC at the level of community are the development of an ongoing and creative dialogue of the members of the centre with the local community aiming to increase the awareness and educate the community on issues related to mental illness and especially the social stigma attached to it. Also, SDC aims at the participation of members from the local community in its operation and activities on a voluntary basis.

The SDC will provide a variety of services with the collaboration of a small multi-disciplinary team consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker, a team of mental health nurses and external associates (art/drama/music therapists, fitness and movement instructors, computer instructors etc). The SDC will operate mainly with mental health professionals from S.O.P.S.I.' s Group Home which is located at the same building with SDC and with the input from its members. Also, emphasis is given to volunteers from the local community, who will assist the members of the centre with the planning and execution of its activities. At SDC we believe volunteers are an extremely important part of the infrastructure of our projects and add value to our organization. The SDC is a safe, comfortable, therapeutic environment where volunteers meet and greet, interact and converse with our clients. It is a service that enables and empowers people to gain more control over their lives. Volunteers receive regular supervision, guidance and support from experienced members of the SDC team which in turn benefits the volunteer by strengthening their skills set.

SDC's program will include therapeutic interventions for its members (i.e. music/drama/movement therapy groups, problem solving group etc) and their families (i.e. support group, family psycho-education). Also, it will include social and cultural activities for its members, their families and the members of the local community (i.e. social club, dance classes, computer training, art exhibitions, bazaar etc). Additionally, it incorporates the development of especially designed educational interventions and the distribution of relevant printed material to the local community on issues related to mental illness. Furthermore, part of SDC's program will include a research component for monitoring the needs of the local community on matters related to mental illness. Finally, a great consideration was given to the role of the members' families and their participation at the SDC's operation, either as recipients of its services and activities or as allies to the therapeutic and rehabilitation process.

The Key Features of SDC's operation are: 1) operates every day of the week, between 15.00 - 21.00, in order to provide services to patients who participate in other supportive programs that mainly function during the morning hours (i.e. pre-professional or professional training programs), 2) SDC's operation is largely depended upon the input of its members and the voluntary work of mental health professionals and members from the local community, 3) SDC's services and activities are focused on its members and their families, as well as on the community 4) some of SDC's activities take place in its premises, while others organized by the centre but they take place outside its premises in the community (i.e. art exhibitions, bazaar etc), 5) SDC develop specially designed educational interventions on issues related to mental health and mental illness for its members, their families and the local community with a focus on specific populations (i.e. students, police officers, mental health professionals etc), and 6) SDC conduct ongoing research to monitor the needs and characteristics of the local community on matters related to mental illness.