Establishment of mental health prevention programs

Within the project ANIMA SANA - Establishment of mental health prevention programs a network of counselling centres will be established in the area of Upper Carniola, where free of charge psychotherapy will be available to individuals in need of help. Advice on how to care for their mental health will be accessible to individuals in person as well as through a website and a live radio programme. This way we will encompass people who do not want to expose themselves. By analysing the current situation we will identify target groups most likely to develop mental disorders (e.g. the unemployed, the elderly, etc.) and design and adapt special blocks of lectures and workshops on prevention accordingly. Special training programmes will be designed and implemented for different groups of professionals who are working with vulnerable target groups, which will ensure a raised level of their knowledge and skills on mental health. In this way we promote prevention measures and an early recognition of potential problems in the field of mental health. Early problem confrontation will deter people from resorting to various addictions, reduce the number of people affected by mental ill health, cut wait times and improve mental health of society as a whole.

Emotional and mental distress usually becomes intolerable and dangerous particularly when individuals simultaneously loose their financial security. This project will enable an easier, wider and free of charge access to individual services and prevention programmes on one side and a better promotion of the relevance of good mental health to an individual and the society as a whole on the other. By designing promotional material (brochures, video ads, websites, radio programmes) we will promote good mental health and enable people to be open about their problems, get quick treatment and participate to prevention programmes. Within the project we will improve cross-sectoral cooperation among various institutes which come into contact with the vulnerable groups (psychiatrists, social work centres, healthcare professionals, employment offices, etc.) and will in this way provide an integrated approach to the problem solving.

Project promoter is Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska.
Project partners:
• Way of light association for extension of consciousness,
• Psychiatric Hospital of Begunje,
• College of Nursing Jesenice and
• Community of Centres for Social Work Slovenia.

Co-financing:

The project is funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme 2009-2014.

Project is co-financed by Municipality of Bled, Municipality of Bohinj, Municipality of Gorje, Municipality of Kranjska Gora, Municipality of Jesenice, Municipality of Radovljica and Municipality of Žirovnica.

Additional information:

Urška Železnikar, project manager of ANIMA SANA
Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska
Spodnji Plavž 24e, 4270 Jesenice
Phone: 00386 (0)4 581 34 17
E-mail: urska.zeleznikar@ragor.si