The aim of the project ANIMA SANA – Design of prevention programmes to promote mental health – is to establish a network of advisory offices in the area of Zgornja Gorenjska to provide free psychotherapeutic counselling to people in need of individual assistance. Individuals will learn in person how to better take care of their mental health, namely on the dedicated website or through the weekly radio show. By analysing the current conditions in the field of mental health in the area of Zgornja Gorenjska the project will identify target groups at risk of developing mental health disorders (e.g. the unemployed, the elderly, etc.) and develop specific sets of prevention-oriented lectures and workshops. The project will also design training programmes for various groups of professional staff working with the target groups which will result in enhancing their knowledge and skills in the field of mental health. The project will thus design prevention measures and establish early diagnosis of potential mental health-related problems.
Addressing mental health-related problems at an early stage will contribute to reducing recourse to various forms of addiction, reducing the number of individuals suffering from mental illnesses, shortening queues and improving general mental health. Emotional and mental problems become unbearable and pose a threat when the individual loses financial security. The project will thus facilitate access to individual services and prevention programmes as well as enhance promotion of the relevance of good mental health with individuals and the society as a whole. By developing promotional material (brochures, video adverts, websites and radio shows) the projects will promote good mental health and enable individuals to solve their problems in an open and fast manner as well as enable individuals to participate in prevention programmes. The project will promote integration and cooperation of various institutions dealing with vulnerable groups (psychiatry, social work centres, healthcare workers, employment services, etc.) and thus establish an integral approach to finding solutions for mental health-related problems.