Port Elizabeth Mental Health

Who is Port Elizabeth Mental Health and what do we do?

Port Elizabeth Mental Health is a professional service organization. Port Elizabeth Mental Health has been operating since 1939. We are a community driven organization serving the needs of people with intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and their families as well as those people experiencing life crisis. The organization renders a holistic service to the family.

Our strategic goal is to:

Be a dynamic organization providing a need specific, consumer driven, equitable and developmental service, with resourced staff focusing on enhancing the quality of life of vulnerable persons with disabilities and their families primarily in disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

Motto:

To cure some, to help many, to comfort all.

We aim to:

• Improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disability or psychiatric disability and that of their families.
• Provide appropriate caring, development services and facilities for people with mental disabilities in consultation with them and the community.
• Provide information and raise awareness about intellectual disability, psychiatric illness and the promotion of mental health in the broader communities of Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas, as well as Cradock, Somerset East.
• Encourage greater service-user (consumer) involvement in service-delivery.
• Create an enabling environment for service-users that offers options, not solutions.

Mental Health Services

Port Elizabeth Mental Health provides a wide range of tailored services to meet the mental health needs of the community.

These include:

• Social Work Intervention Services
• Skills Training and Prevention towards better mental health
• 5 Neighbourhood Units for children with severe to profound disabilities that cannot access the Special Day Care Centres
• Youth Skills Development Centres
• Residential Care Facilities
• Special Day care Centre for children with severe to profound disabilities.

Social Work Intervention Services:

Intake services, new assessments, crises interventions, counseling, case work and statutory intervention, educational talks, support groups, caregivers support groups, wellness programmes, awareness campaigns, facilitating psychiatric Advocacy and Lobby Group, social security and material assistance, home programme for children with mental and multiple disabilities, Neighbourhood Units where 6 children with severe to profound disabilities are cared for by caregivers or community members trained by Port Elizabeth Mental Health is providing day care and stimulation to the children, Toy library services in various areas, Advocacy initiatives for the rights of children with mental disabilities, Networking and Liaising with various departments, organizations, forums etc. on Mental Health issues affecting children, youth, adults in the community.

Skills Training and Prevention:

Life Skills Workshops in Schools

Programmes facilitated for learners and educators at identified schools, enhancing coping skills towards optimal well-being and promotion of active participation in society.

Wellness Programmes

Community members are integrated into empowerment programmes, aimed at improving skills for lifestyle management and optimal well-being.

Awareness Campaigns

Members of the community at large integrated into awareness programmes on mental disability, rights and abilities, with the aim of promoting respect for diversity and social integration. The focus is on creating awareness in the following months:

• March Intellectual Disability
• July Psychiatric Illness
• October Mental Health

Caregiver Support Groups

Care givers integrated into support groups with educational programs, facilitating improved levels of coping with the care of children with special needs.

Community Life Skills Workshops

Programmes facilitated for Mental Health service users enhancing coping skills towards optimal well-being and promotion of active participation in society. Topics include the following:

• Domestic Violence
• UN Convention on the rights of persons with disability
• Parenting Skills

Relationship Building

• Sexuality and HIV/AIDS
• Basic Financial Management

Skills Programmes at PEMH Youth Centres

Youths with mental disabilities and their families integrated into life-skills and educational programmes, facilitating improved coping skills. Programmes are:

• Life Skills
• Literacy & Numeracy
• Work Readiness

Learnerships

Youths with mental disabilities accessing learnerships for skills development linked to employment opportunities, facilitating improved socio-economic circumstances.

Life - skills Training session on substance abuse at Schools

Capacity Building Training on Domestic Violence

Neighbourhood Units:

30 vulnerable children with severe to profound intellectual disabilities and their caregivers benefit from these services. 6 children are admitted per unit and are provided with care, support and stimulation programmes with the inclusion of 2 basic meals per day. Trained caregivers or volunteers from the community, provide this service.

• Two Motherwell Neighbourhood Units
• New Brighton Neighbourhood Unit
• Zwide Neighbourhood Unit
• Gelvandale Neighbourhood Unit

Youth Skills Development Centres:

To promote the socio-economic development of 140 youth with intellectual disabilities through practical work place educational and life skills training. In New Brighton, Motherwell and Zwide.

Residential Care Facilities:

Capricorn and Herberg are the two Residential Care Facilities, providing basic care and support services to people with disabilities needing residential care. Individual social work services to residents, Life-skills training activities, Awareness events and fundraising, Family preservation groups / meetings, Monthly climate meetings with residents, Domestic skills training, Arts and crafts and recreational activities. Each facility can accommodate 10 adult residents with mental disabilities at any time.

Special Day Care Centres:

Daily care and stimulation, provision of transport, basic meals, social outings, periodic contact with caregivers, assessment and evaluation of children, referrals for appropriate services, education on mental health, fundraising, project committee meetings and training in strengthening the project committees to take greater responsibilities for the centres in their communities, liaising and networking with various departments, forums and issues pertaining children with disabilities.

• Luvuyo Special Day Care Centre in Somerset East accommodate 23 children with severe to profound disabilities.
• Nomzamo Special Day Care Centre in Cradock accommodate 35 children with severe to profound disabilities.

Who is Port Elizabeth Mental Health and what do we do?

Port Elizabeth Mental Health is a professional service organization. Port Elizabeth Mental Health has been operating since 1939. We are a community driven organization serving the needs of people with intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and their families as well as those people experiencing life crisis. The organization renders a holistic service to the family.

Our strategic goal is to:

Be a dynamic organization providing a need specific, consumer driven, equitable and developmental service, with resourced staff focusing on enhancing the quality of life of vulnerable persons with disabilities and their families primarily in disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

Motto:

To cure some, to help many, to comfort all.

We aim to:

• Improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disability or psychiatric disability and that of their families.
• Provide appropriate caring, development services and facilities for people with mental disabilities in consultation with them and the community.
• Provide information and raise awareness about intellectual disability, psychiatric illness and the promotion of mental health in the broader communities of Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas, as well as Cradock, Somerset East.
• Encourage greater service-user (consumer) involvement in service-delivery.
• Create an enabling environment for service-users that offers options, not solutions.

Mental Health Services

Port Elizabeth Mental Health provides a wide range of tailored services to meet the mental health needs of the community.

These include:

• Social Work Intervention Services
• Skills Training and Prevention towards better mental health
• 5 Neighbourhood Units for children with severe to profound disabilities that cannot access the Special Day Care Centres
• Youth Skills Development Centres
• Residential Care Facilities
• Special Day care Centre for children with severe to profound disabilities.

Social Work Intervention Services:

Intake services, new assessments, crises interventions, counseling, case work and statutory intervention, educational talks, support groups, caregivers support groups, wellness programmes, awareness campaigns, facilitating psychiatric Advocacy and Lobby Group, social security and material assistance, home programme for children with mental and multiple disabilities, Neighbourhood Units where 6 children with severe to profound disabilities are cared for by caregivers or community members trained by Port Elizabeth Mental Health is providing day care and stimulation to the children, Toy library services in various areas, Advocacy initiatives for the rights of children with mental disabilities, Networking and Liaising with various departments, organizations, forums etc. on Mental Health issues affecting children, youth, adults in the community.

Skills Training and Prevention:

Life Skills Workshops in Schools

Programmes facilitated for learners and educators at identified schools, enhancing coping skills towards optimal well-being and promotion of active participation in society.

Wellness Programmes

Community members are integrated into empowerment programmes, aimed at improving skills for lifestyle management and optimal well-being.

Awareness Campaigns

Members of the community at large integrated into awareness programmes on mental disability, rights and abilities, with the aim of promoting respect for diversity and social integration. The focus is on creating awareness in the following months:

• March Intellectual Disability
• July Psychiatric Illness
• October Mental Health

Caregiver Support Groups

Care givers integrated into support groups with educational programs, facilitating improved levels of coping with the care of children with special needs.

Community Life Skills Workshops

Programmes facilitated for Mental Health service users enhancing coping skills towards optimal well-being and promotion of active participation in society. Topics include the following:

• Domestic Violence
• UN Convention on the rights of persons with disability
• Parenting Skills

Relationship Building

• Sexuality and HIV/AIDS
• Basic Financial Management

Skills Programmes at PEMH Youth Centres

Youths with mental disabilities and their families integrated into life-skills and educational programmes, facilitating improved coping skills. Programmes are:

• Life Skills
• Literacy & Numeracy
• Work Readiness

Learnerships

Youths with mental disabilities accessing learnerships for skills development linked to employment opportunities, facilitating improved socio-economic circumstances.

Life - skills Training session on substance abuse at Schools

Capacity Building Training on Domestic Violence

Neighbourhood Units:

30 vulnerable children with severe to profound intellectual disabilities and their caregivers benefit from these services. 6 children are admitted per unit and are provided with care, support and stimulation programmes with the inclusion of 2 basic meals per day. Trained caregivers or volunteers from the community, provide this service.

• Two Motherwell Neighbourhood Units
• New Brighton Neighbourhood Unit
• Zwide Neighbourhood Unit
• Gelvandale Neighbourhood Unit

Youth Skills Development Centres:

To promote the socio-economic development of 140 youth with intellectual disabilities through practical work place educational and life skills training. In New Brighton, Motherwell and Zwide.

Residential Care Facilities:

Capricorn and Herberg are the two Residential Care Facilities, providing basic care and support services to people with disabilities needing residential care. Individual social work services to residents, Life-skills training activities, Awareness events and fundraising, Family preservation groups / meetings, Monthly climate meetings with residents, Domestic skills training, Arts and crafts and recreational activities. Each facility can accommodate 10 adult residents with mental disabilities at any time.

Special Day Care Centres:

Daily care and stimulation, provision of transport, basic meals, social outings, periodic contact with caregivers, assessment and evaluation of children, referrals for appropriate services, education on mental health, fundraising, project committee meetings and training in strengthening the project committees to take greater responsibilities for the centres in their communities, liaising and networking with various departments, forums and issues pertaining children with disabilities.

• Luvuyo Special Day Care Centre in Somerset East accommodate 23 children with severe to profound disabilities.
• Nomzamo Special Day Care Centre in Cradock accommodate 35 children with severe to profound disabilities.