Mental Health & Protection in Turkey

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program

UOSSM Turkey launched the Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) Program in late 2013 to reduce the migration and the negative effects of the conflict on the people by operating the first MHPSS center in Reyhanli in Turkey, followed by an expansion of the MHPSS program to several locations throughout Turkey.

Over the last 11 years, UOSSM Turkey established MHPSS centers, including Reyhanli, Gaziantep, Kilis, Ankara, and Istanbul. It currently operates three of these MPHSS centers in Turkey in Gaziantep, Haytay, and in Kahramanmaras. Each center has a team of psychiatrists (Syrian and Turkish), psychologists, clinical psychologists, child psychologists, speech therapists, Special Need Rehabilitation (SNR) facilitator, a nurse, and case workers.

The MHPSS program aims to improve access to Syrian refugees and Arabic-speaking people in Turkey for comprehensive Mental Health (MH) and Psycho-Social Support (PSS) services for all age groups, as well as Special Need Rehabilitation (SNR) services for children with special needs. The MHPSS program includes capacity building of the local community in mental health issues, in addition to adaptation and cohesion services to enhance the integration among refugees and local Turkish communities.

The Community MHPSS centers provides a wide range of services, including assessment, treatment, counseling, case management, special needs rehabilitation (SNR), training, follow-up, surveys, family and caregivers counseling, and other services to the refugees - predominantly Syrians. In addition, MHPSS centers provide outreach services at schools, displacement camps, houses, orphanages, clinics, hospitals, and others.

UOSSM-Turkey incorporates many protection services within its current MHPSS centers and services in Turkey. While UOSSM offices in Turkey support programs in Turkey and Syria, UOSSM USA operates through its regional office in Jordan to provide essential services in Jordan and Gaza.

Provision of psychotropic medications, prescribed by licensed psychiatrists, which are dispensed to patients, free of charge, at designated pharmacies in Turkey.
Special Needs Rehabilitation (SNR) services to children with special needs, developmental disorders (such as Autism), mental retardation (such as Down Syndrome), language, hearing and speech disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), adaptation difficulties, learning difficulties, and behavior modifications.
Provision of mental health services to GBV survivors

Referral of beneficiaries with protection concerns to appropriate services available in the area after initial assessment.
Capacity building and training of staff and service providers of government and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) on MHPSS and related topics, developing capacity to provide and expand specialized MHPSS services to the local communities in years to come.
Capacity building and training on MHPSS and SNR topics of different types of groups, including school administrators, teachers, administrators and caregivers at orphanages, community centers, and others.

Mental Health & Protection in Turkey

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program

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