Associations, an important element in the recovery process
Associations of families and affected people are an important part of minimizing the impact that having a mental health disorder can have on a person and their immediate environment. These entities are often the first place of reception after receiving a mental health diagnosis, but also a place of prevention that sometimes acts as a bridge between the person and the specialized care center.
Associationism is an essential element in the mental health recovery model , which offers resources, information, training and help in a space shared by people who have the same goal: to improve the quality of life and well-being of people with mental health problems and their families. However, their support work is often accompanied by advocacy, influence on public social and health policies and the defense of fundamental rights, such as receiving appropriate treatment, participating in decision-making, empowerment and participation in community activities.
The recovery model, a paradigm shift in the approach to mental health
What can we find in associations?
Welcome
All people who need it can be listened to, accompanied and informed throughout their process, in a safe space. Normally, at the first moment of the onset of a mental health disorder, it is common for families and affected people to feel disoriented. This reception service does not replace an intervention or any type of treatment, since its objective is usually to provide information and facilitate, if necessary, the circuit that must be followed to receive specialized treatment.
Information and guidance
Associations are an ideal place to receive all the necessary information about mental health problems. They usually have consultation materials and specialized people who can help you. It is important to know the mental disorder that affects you or your family member in order to make decisions and get appropriate help.
Accompaniment
In addition to reception and information services, many associations offer specialized advisory and support services to accompany people with their own experience and families. Generally, the accompaniment work is carried out in a coordinated manner with the services of the mental and social health network. Some examples of accompaniment services can be:
- Family intervention services.
- Residential services (supported apartments...).
- Legal advice services.
- Employment services and programs.
- Social club.
Mutual aid groups (GAM) for first-time people or families
They are self-organized spaces or group activities, energized by people who have gone through an adverse experience or a common difficulty, such as a mental health problem, where they share their experiences in the first person. They are spaces complementary to professional resources, in which experiential knowledge acquires a fundamental value, and where support is received and given from a horizontal, voluntary and respectful perspective.
Mutual support groups
Training and qualification
Some associations offer training through workshops and courses , both for affected people and for families, which may aim to expand knowledge about the disorder, but also to acquire emotional regulation strategies, stress control or self-care for caregivers, for example. They may also offer training actions on mental health and well-being aimed at the community, professional groups, educational centers, etc.
Volunteering and activism
Associations are a good place to raise awareness about mental health disorders and to think about the collective benefit of any step taken to improve the quality of life of those affected. They can also be a space of opportunity for volunteering, a tool that often allows them to give meaning to their lives , be part of the community and, at the same time, fight against discrimination and stigma.
Defense of the rights of the collective
Many associations become the main entities for raising awareness and defending the rights of people with mental health problems, promoting knowledge and guaranteeing the rights of the group, but also detecting and reporting violations of rights that occur in their territory of influence. With this objective, they often participate in, organize or promote awareness-raising and prevention actions in mental health.
Political advocacy
The strong relationship of the associations with the territories where they are present and their objective of improving the quality of life of people with mental health problems and their families, lead them to actively participate in processes that influence public social and health policies , in order to transform the care model.
Do you want to know the entities and associations that co-create the SOM Salut Mental 360 portal?