Activities in Bucharest

In Bucharest, the professionals from GGZ Dijk en Duijn work closely together with a group of resident doctors, psychologists, therapists, nurses and volunteers who are members of the Romanian Association of Community Psychiatry.

The Romanian Association of Community Psychiatry (RACP) is a organization which works on behalf of adults who suffer from severe mental disorders and for their families.

The RACP is a professional organization, the majority of her members being professionals in the field of mental health care, active in the Department of Community Psychiatry of the clinical psychiatrical hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia".

The mission of RACP is to increase the quality of the lives of persons who suffer from severe mental disorders and of their families by offering services of psycho-social rehabilitation and complex programmes of individual and group psychotherapy.

Our role in the MATRA project Reinforce!

The objectives of the MATRA project which refer to the implementation of occupational therapy in Romania, are also present in our actions for the promotion of the complementary methods of mental health care.

Using the experience of the professionals from the RACP and of our Dutch partners, our goal with this project is to realize the following objectives:

1. Introducing the professionals of the clinical psychiatric hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia" to the idea of using occupational therapy as a component of the mental health care services.
2. To inform the professionals of the psychiatric hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia"  about the techniques and working methods used in occupational therapy.
3. Starting programmes of occupational therapy in four sections of the psychiatric hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia".
4. The development of a training programme for nurses about the methods of activation of occupational therapy.
5. Editing a manual on occupational therapy for professionals in mental health care.

Activities until now

1. Several meetings have taken place with the managing staff of the clinical psychiatric hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia"  (general manager, head nurses, medical director).
2. A multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals (nurses, psychologists, residents) was formed, whose task it is to apply the methods of occupational therapy in the different sections of the hospital.
3. Volunteers (psychology students) have been trained to work with the professionals.
4. A training was organized for the nurses of the psychiatric hospital "Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia" on the theme of the methods of activation of occupational therapy.
5. A training was organized for the resident doctors and a group of residents was formed, whose task it is to apply the learned techniques and methods in the different sections of the hospital.
6. Several supervision and intervision meetings were organized for the staff members who have started to apply the methods of occupational therapy within the different sections of the hospital.
7. Several meetings were planned to inform the volunteers, and to monitor and coordinate their activities.

Future Plans

1. Finalizing and editing the manual on occupational therapy.
2. Creating a network of professionals and ONG's, active in the field of occupational therapy.
3. Promoting the recognition of the role of the occupational therapist within the multidisciplinary team.
4. Enabling the creation of the legal frame necessary for the practice of the profession of occupational therapist.
5. Enabling the development of different forms of education for occupational therapists (universitary study, post graduate studies, different courses).

Advantages for those involved in the project

For the professionals:

• getting to know the different methods used in occupational therapy
• the possibility to obtain more information about the patients
• facilitating the planning of the recuperation and psycho-social rehabilitation path of the patient
• learning new techniques which can be used to form a relationship with the patient

For the patients:

• the possibility to spend their time while hospitalized, in a useful and pleasant way
• making return to society easier through raising the patient's communicative skills through group interaction during occupational therapy activities
• getting useful information about deseases and about the prevention of relapses
• getting a new perspective on the possibilities of professional and psycho-social reintegration
• raising ones self esteem

Project Team

Coordinators: Elena Pan? - psychologist

Alina ?u?u   - nurse

Team:

resident doctors

psychologists

head nurses

nurses

volunteers (University of Psychology)

Contact E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tel     : 0040(0)21-3343471