Day Centre for the Care of the Mental Health of Women (Postpartum Disorder)

In 2009 FAINARETI established the first specialised Day Centre for the Care of the Mental Health of Women (Postpartum Disorder) in Greece and has provided its services in more than four thousand pregnant women, puerperas and their families. The innovation of intervention lies in its interdisciplinary nature, which requires the cooperation of midwives and mental health specialists aiming at the mental and physical health of the woman, the newborn and the family. Services provided include information, training and support of the woman during pregnancy and the first months after labour, experiential training and preparation of the couple for parenthood during pregnancy, physical training, preventive screening of mental disorders by means of psychometric tools, interviews and recording of health background, timely detection of high-risk women and immediate referral to mental health specialists, psychological and psychiatric assessment, monitoring and psychotherapy. All services of the Day Centre are provided to the citizens for free. It is financed by the Regular Budget of the Hellenic Ministry of Health. The Directorate of Mental Health is the supervisory authority.

The establishment of the Day Centre is part of the overall Psychiatric Reform Programme of the Hellenic Ministry of Health, called "Ψυχαργώς" (Psychargos), which is the national plan for changing the way mental health services are provided in order to shift from institutionalized care to community care. "Psychargos" aims at creating effective networks of community structures and mental healthcare services, so that every person with mental health issues can find solution to their problem at their place of residence and work within the community.

The Day Centre cooperates with: