CREATING THE INTERNET MULTIDISCIPLINIARY COUNSELLING AND

DESTIGMATIZATION WEBPAGE PLATFORM

Zuzana Foitová, MDCenter for mental health care development

Prague

Implementer

Centre for Mental Health Care Development, Prague

small non-government non-profit organization, establ. 1995

Mission: to initiate and implement changes leading to the transfer of mental health care into community, to increase respect for people with mental health problems, and to professional as well as accessible mental health care services.

Projects: conceptual (changes in mental health care system), education, developing community based services, peer work...

Norwegian partner

Buskerud and Vestfold University College, Norway

Marit Borg, PhD, Professor, recovery researcher

Ottar Ness, PhD, Associate Professor

Randi Semb, Peer Worker

Basic idea: IHCA

Interactive Health Communication Applications : Combination of professional guaranteed information on

metal health issues AND councelling service Peer support included Proved effectivity as a support strategy in some research

( Murray et al. 2005)

Our project

Two parts:Interactive – counselling service Informational – professional info on mental

health issues, recovery stories

Schedule

Select members of the multidisciplinary counselling team April 2015

Train the teamPrepare the web platform May - June 2015

Operate and promote the counsellig serviceTeam meetings, supervision, evaluation July 2015 – April 2016

Post articles on mental health, stigma and recovery topicsRecord video recovery stories January – April 2016

Evaluate feedback from users of the serviceEvaluate the whole project March – April 2016

Activities with the norwegian partner

Sharing expertise and experience:

Preparatory and continuing consultationsTwo 2-day workshops in PragueDeveloping the evaluation tool Final evaluation of the project

Our activities

Selecting members of a multidisciplinary counselling team

1 psychiatrist, 1 psychologist, 1 social worker and 10 experts by experience

Training the team

Three different courses

Operation of the counselling platform

Team meetings, intervision, supervision, evaluation

Completion of info sections

Recovery and Stigma articles, recovery stories, links to other relevant resources

Homepage

(1. 8. - 15. 10. 2015)

Expected impact Individual level - on the questioner:• Improve self-acceptance• Deepen knowledge about the problem• Improve the ability of the questioner to solve the

situation• Increase the possibility of seeking professional help

Public level – on every visitor:• All questions and answers accessible – information• Increasing knowledge on mental health topics• Recovery oriented – destigmatizing effect

Feedback tool

Feedback tool

Not at all - Rather not - Neither yes nor no - Rather yes - Definitely yes

The answer was comprehensible for me I received useful support in my situation I felt understood I felt respected as a person The answer gave me hope and strengthened me What do you think about this form of support?

Feedback from the questioners

We are processing specific figures at the moment„Definitely yes“ and „Rather yes“ answers prevailExamples of written evaluation:...“It is very good that the counseling exists and let me

say thank you to everybody who are willing to helpthe others“...

...“Useful and fine, not annoying“...

...“ It really did help me personally... in fact it gave me an advice how to go on...thank you“

Future

Sustainability?Corporate funding: unsuccessful (so far)Grant programmes and oportunities: Norway

grants, EU operational programs - ?

Thank you for your attention.

How counselling worksWe provide professional guaranteed counselling in the field

of mental health and mental illness ask psychiatrist, psychologist and social worker as well as

peer counsellors, i.e. people with their own experience with mental illness

anonymous, e-mail is used only for sending the answer all questions and answers are automatically displayed on the

webpage you receive the answer within 7 days. It is not meant as crisis service (contacts here)

Basic principles of answering

• Support questioner, take everything seriously

• Offer expert information and/or own experience (peer counselors)

• Recommend other professional services according to the nature of the problem, if necessary