Programme

• Design and implementation of addiction prevention and recovery from the Institute for Addiction Prevention.
• Opportunity to comprehend evidence-based practices including prevention, psychosocial care, rehabilitation, skills-oriented activity and housing and deepen knowledge on how services are interlinked rooted on 60-year community-based national policy.
• Learn about practices of vocational integration (ATZ – Arbeitstrainingzentrum) in multiple forms and the interaction between community and employment stakeholders also using as best practice the Wesenufer Hotel model.
• Specific focus on therapy and social inclusion trough arts and culture (PST - Psychosozialer Treffpunkt).
• Opportunity of a guided tour through Vienna promoted by homeless population to gain knowledge on this vulnerable group’s perspective on the world.
• Opportunity to assist selected programmes through shadowing during week 2.

Expected impact: As general impact of the exchange visit, it is expected that participants set a foundation to create a European mental health network, including multidisciplinary professions. The network is planned to be continued in the form of a community of practice and create a long-term peer support model in the targeted countries.

The community-based provision of services is a major strength of the programme in Austria and is expected to build a comprehensive and holistic knowledge on how mental health issues should be approached. The first week will deepen the participants’ knowledge about effective promotion and prevention programmes that target addiction from a multidisciplinary point of view. Also, the participants will gain insights on person-centred approach via the integration of psychosocial care, vocational training and housing. Another expected impact of this first week is the valorisation of therapy trough arts and culture.

Innovative component/evidence-based practices: The first week looks at effective models of community-based programmes and a holistic approach to the individual, ensuring the prevention and promotion by addressing their basic and psychosocial needs through the intersection of different services, like housing, vocational training (ATZ) and skills-oriented activities (FA) and the fulfilment of a human rights approach. Participants will learn about the innovative model used at the Wesenufer Hotel which showcases a social employment and reintegration setting. The week also looks at providing access to mental health care through innovative solutions like therapy trough art (PST - Psychosozialer Treffpunkt) providing the opportunity to assist a theatre play and visit a centre for arts and culture therapy.  The week will allow the participant to deepen their practical knowledge of the multidisciplinary approach to community-based mental health service provision.

Arrival in Austria (VIenna or Linz): pickup at the airport and transfer in Wesenufer

Accomodation at Hotel Wesenufer and dinner

Linz

AM: * 3 small groups activities (Linz, Wels, Steyr, Schwaigau)

Field trips: Crisis support; Psychosocial counselling; Skill oriented activity (FA); Vocational integration (ATZ); Housing models

Field trips will address: First aid in psychosocial emergency situations; psychosocial counselling, counselling, assistance, psychotherapy and sociotherapy. Participants will also get to know a first point of contact for mental and social problems and learn on innovative counselling service for families, to support parents and children alike. Deepen knowledge on skills-orientated activity (FA) services and how to work in a holistic manner targeting social benefit and vocational integration (ATZ).  Participants will also learn on fully and partly assisted housing with different main focuses.

PM: Kepler University Hospital at Neuromed Campus Linz; Psychiatric departments in general hospitals including psychiatric non-residential care centres in Linz, Wels and Steyr

Knowing and discussing on bridging the medical intervention with the community system and other sectors to promote a person-centred approach.  Programme recovery for full residential treatment, day-clinic and includes day-structuring activities.

Linz

AM: Lecture at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria on social work job profile; Social department visit Upper Austria

Participants will attend a lecture on the social work job profile and skills related to MH and visit the social department of Upper Austria.

PM: Social inclusion, arts and culture, theatre performance in Linz

Gain knowledge on the role of art and culture on offering people with psychosocial issues the opportunity to express themselves creatively and artistically to achieve stability and the use of creative activities as an opportunity to socialize and improve psychosocial health. Participants will visit an open painting studio, drama, dance, writing workshop and photography at PST - Psychosozioaler Treffpunkt in Linz.

Linz

AM: Vocational integration Centre in Linz

PM: Vocational integration Centre in Linz

The ATZ offers vocational rehabilitation for people going through and after a mental distress seeking to re-enter working life and participants will gain insight on the full circle of work reintegration.

Closure of the day | Group discussion and critical reflection on learnings

Knowing and discussing on bridging the medical intervention with the community system and other sectors to promote a person-centred approach.  Programme recovery for full residential treatment, day-clinic and includes day-structuring activities.

Free time in Linz during the weeked

Expected impact: The second week will allow the participants to dive deeper into programmes that aim at improving the quality of life of people affected by mental health issues as well as actively engage with health care and social providers and interact with people with lived experience during the activities on the days of observant and participatory practice. The participants will consequently have an opportunity to acquire practical knowledge on interventions that go from prevention to re-integration within the scope of a multidisciplinary and psychosocial approach. It is expected that at the end of the second week, participants will have increased their level of knowledge and confidence to replicate and scale up community-based MH service models in their countries.

Innovative component/evidence-based practices: As in the first week, the participants will look at a range of services interlinked between each other and learn effectively about the value of multidisciplinary approach and actively engage in service activities. In terms of innovation, the participants will have the unique opportunity of making a tour through Vienna guided by homeless people, refugees or people with addiction and, thus, have an insight on the world from their point of view.

Linz

AM: Shadowing programs: Observant and participatory practice in Community-based MH centres in Linz

Engaging in different services and working with internal professionals in MH interventions. One to five people can participate in each of the locations. 

PM: Shadowing programs: Observant and participatory practice in Community-based MH centres in Linz

Engaging in different services and working with internal professionals in MH interventions. One to five people can participate in each of the locations. 

Transfer to Vienna 

AM: Shadowing programs: Observant and participatory practice in Community-based MH centres in Vienna 

Engaging in different services and working with internal professionals in MH interventions. One to five people can participate in each of the locations.

PM: Shadowing programs: Observant and participatory practice in Community-based MH centres in Linz

Engaging in different services and working with internal professionals in MH interventions. One to five people can participate in each of the locations.

Accommodation at Plaza Premium Vienna

Vienna 

AM: Addiction and Drugs coordination in Vienna

Learn how to inform the public and raise its awareness on the topic of addiction and learn about participation in Austrian and European prevention networks. Participants will also gain knowledge on how to involve parents, primary schools, schools, youth workers, communities and companies to work on addiction prevention. The activity will address the specifics of Vienna’s services.

PM: Shades tours in Vienna

Tour guided by homeless people, refugees and addicts. Participants will gain insights on how to look at the city and services through these populations’ point of view.

Vienna 

Full day: Visit to the pro Mente Rehabilitation in Burgenland/Rust

Understanding the importance of contextual differences to intervention.

• Post self-assessment
• Explanation on dissemination activities and follow-up questionnaire
• Evaluation survey
• Collection of reports and evaluation surveys

Vienna

Conclusive hybrid workshop, full day event including stakeholders from visited sites, patient organizations and national stakeholders  

Certification ceremony, Ambassadors brand and return home