Mental Health

Meaningful Social Access for Persons with Mental Health Needs (MAP)

Work together for mental health

A Mental Health Day Centre would provide the opportunity for service users to develop and regain their skills that enables them to partake meaningfully in daily life. This type of service is not readily available in Bangladesh and we believe that providing this type of service through a psychosocial rehabilitation model, will be of great advantage to service users and the wider community. The day centre is providing a multidisciplinary service including; psychiatric consultation, psychotherapy and occupational therapy. The service provides a weekly group timetable to compliment individual sessions. This service also created a support system for the service users.

Stigma towards mental illness and mental health treatment is widespread in Bangladesh.  There is a lack of qualified mental health professionals and the practice of psychosocial rehabilitation in Bangladesh is very limited. Along with this limitation, community support of persons with mental health needs remains a challenge.  The widespread stigma prevents local/social inclusion, and it is felt that communities are not ready for change.  For this reason people with mental health needs struggle to participate meaningfully in the society and families/individuals try to hide their needs.

Therefore there is a need for a supportive platform to provide support for both individual and social engagement.  There is also a highlighted need for acceptance in the community, and to be able to provide the support to facilitate this change through knowledge sharing, legislation, awareness of mental illness and mental health interventions.

The project will mainly work in two sectors; individual support and building community awareness.

01. Day Centre Service

1.1 CRP-Ganakbari Day Centre (Existing Day Centre): From 2018 CRP Ganakbari established a mental health Day centre through the project of Occupational Therapy Day Centre for People with Mental Health Needs funded by KCF.  This project is continuing its activities up to August 2021. For the 2nd phase, project will continue this day centre for next 3 years with same category of clients. Clients will continue to receive a service from the day centre including: professional service according to need, food, transport, accommodation (if live far from Centre and cannot come regularly with bus), vocational training, and Income Generating Access support.

1.2 CRP-Mirpur Day Centre: In this 2nd phase a new mental health day centre will be start at CRP Mirpur. This day centre also provide professional service in a weekly package. This day centre facilities will be accommodated according to urban set-up need. Main theme would be same as CRP-Ganabari day centre to engage the clients in meaningful activities in a day long routine.

It is hoped that a day centre will provide the opportunity for service users to maintain and develop the skills that were impaired due to their mental health needs and in still the hope that they can live a meaningful life.

02. Community Service:

CRP has a fame to work in community based rehabilitation service especially for the people with spinal cord injury. This project is going to open a new era to provide community based rehabilitation services to persons with mental health needs. Project team will work in community to prepare them to give access the persons with mental health needs to flourish their potentiality by capacity building, community outreach program, developing befriender and M-health service.

03. Vocational Training and Income Generating Activities support

Project team will be responsible for the vocational training assessment and arrange skills based training. Beneficiaries will be selected according to their interest, ability and socioeconomic conditions. Vocational training will be based on patients’ interests and skills. Project staff will visit the community and prepare a report and draw recommendations before giving the IGA support. After giving IGA support the Community Mobilizer of project will follow-up the activities of beneficiaries.

Project Objectives:

Aim: To increase social acceptance, community inclusivity and participation for persons with mental health needs by enhancing their social access and life opportunities.

 Specific objectives are:

1. 500 persons with mental health needs will receive multi-disciplinary services through Day Centres (includes medication, psychotherapy and psychosocial intervention depending on individual needs).

2. To promote community acceptance for persons with mental health needs.

3. To provide vocational training for 100 beneficiaries among them 50% will get Income Generating Activity (IGA) support.

A. Mental Health Day Centre 

Services: -

• Psychiatric Consultation
• Psychosocial Counselling
• Occupational Therapy

Facilities: -

• Treatment
• Transport
• Food
• Accommodation (If needed)
• Vocational training
• Rehabilitation

Referral Criteria: -

• Adult with mental health illness (18-50 years)
• Client is medically stable

Professionals: -

CRP-Ganakbari Day Centre:

• Dr. Md Jahangir Hossain (Psychiatric Consultant)
• Md Rabiul Hasan (Senior Occupational Therapist)
• Afsana Arafine (Clinical Occupational Therapist)
• Chayon Kumar Das (Clinical Psychologist)

CRP-Mirpur Day Centre:

• Dr. Md Zubayer Miah (Psychiatric Consultant)
• Yesmin Sulltana Nipa (Senior Occupational Therapist)
• Bipasha Banik (Clinical Occupational Therapist)
• Amina Khatun (Clinical Psychologist)

B.Community Service:

• Home visit
• Client Referral
• E-Health service
• Community Awareness
• Training
• Supportive Job advocacy
• Follow-up
• Income Generating Support according to evaluation

Working Area:

• Dhaka
• Savar
• Manikganj
• Tangail
• Gazipur
• Narayanganj

Professinals:

• Shakawat Hossen (Rehabilitation Officer)
• Farhana Haque Baishakhi (Clinical Occupational Therapist)

This team also includes 3 Community Mobilisers.

Video Documentary of: Mental Health Care :Living with Mind - YouTube

Example of daily routine at a glance…

(From Saturday to Wednesday)

Contact information: +8801730059675, +8801730059680, +8801730059641

Email address: map.crp2022@gmail.com