Our Programs
Community Mental Health Service
To identify the mentally ill people in the early stages of the illness and provide them with psychiatric treatments along with psychosocial care benefits and mainstream them to the community.
Social Care Support Service for people living with Mental Health Issues
Community Mental Health Care Service
Mental Health and Wellbeing Training SHG Leaders
Dry Ration Distribution Programmes for Families of person with Mental Health Issues
Awareness Programme on Mental Health in the community
Child Rights & Child Safty Training for School Children
Psychiatric Treamnet Service for People Suffering with Mental Health Issue
Support Group Meeting for Caregivers of Person Living with Mental Health Issue's
Objective
To promote the mental well-being of people in the community through training and networking with other service providers
To increase awareness of mental health through programs in the community, school, and other institutions to help to identify the mentally ill people
To provide inclusive mental health treatment service for people living with minor and major mental illnesses in the rural community and to ensure their mental well-being and wellness
To improve the quality of life of mental health users and their family members through various rehabilitation programmes.
To increase awareness of mental health through programs in the community, school, and other institutions to help to identify the mentally ill people
To provide inclusive mental health treatment service for people living with minor and major mental illnesses in the rural community and to ensure their mental well-being and wellness
To improve the quality of life of mental health users and their family members through various rehabilitation programmes.
Community Mental Health Care
STEPS organization has been providing psychosocial care services for mentally ill people and their family members since March 2021. Our community health workers visit the villages and find out the mentally ill person through interaction with community people and conduct small group meetings with the help of key contact persons in the villages.
The community health workers have identified nearly eighty-five (95) mentally ill people till March 2024 and helped them to get psychiatric treatment by attending the outpatient department at the government general hospital at Chengalpattu.
Social care support service
The community mental health workers visit the villages regularly and discuss with family members about social care support services for the person who has mental illness or disability. They will explain to them the various social welfare schemes of state and central governments including disability pensions. The community health worker will fill out the application for a government pension based on their needs and eligibility. They will proceed with the filled applications by visiting the concerned government department like District Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) in Chengalpattu, Taluk office at Thirukazhukundram, and Nationalized Bankwhichislocated at their nearest place to get aid like disability pension, old-age pension, widow pension, Aadhar card and opening a bank account in their locality.
Dry ration support to the families of mental illness and poor
One of the social care support services of STEPS is to provide a dry ration kit for families who have a person with mental illness. The programme aims to support families with mental illness and the poor to reduce their financial burden and take care of their mentally ill clients by providing them with a dry ration kit. This also gives them the confidence to get back to their past life and can resume their community engagement. Initially, we supported 146 families, who were identified as poor. The food kit contains things worth Rs.1200/ (one thousand two hundred) each family. The selection was based on merit such as they should be economically poor and a person living with mental illness.
The dry ration distribution programme was conducted at May 2023 and Jul 2023 at RUWSEC centre in Karumarapakkam, Thirukazhukundram block. Mr. Arul Volunteer, Chennai sponsored for dry dry ration kits and distributed to the beneficiaries. Mr. Anandan, founder & Director of STEPS discussed with caretakers the challenges they face while taking care of them. The caretakers shared so many issues they face in their community such as stigma and discrimination, poor economic conditions etc... They are in situations where they are not able to leave the client at home and go for some job outside. They reported that the finances are one of the major problems they face.
STEPS as a part of promoting mental health in the community is keen on creating awareness of Mental Health and well-being through a structured training model for various stakeholders in the community like officials of the local government organizations, teachers, students, Panchayat functionaries, SHG members, youth groups, etc