Psychosocial Health Promotion and Health Assistance for Adults

“You’re wondering whether advice from a social worker, psychotherapist or doctor could help you, but you don’t know where to go?”

We can help!

You are welcome to come along to our open consultation hours on Tuesday mornings, call us for advice, or to arrange an appointment to speak at greater length with one of our social workers, doctors or psychologists. Our service is free and all conversations are confidential. You can attend our open consultation hours anonymously should you wish.

In order to be closer to the communities which we serve, the department has two locations which cover different local areas. The department has two separate specialist teams: the “Social Psychiatric Service” for psychosocial and mental health problems and the “Social Advisory Service for People with Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions and for Older People” for those with impairments caused primarily by physical health problems. As a medically-led service all of the information we collect about you is subject to doctor-patient confidentiality.
Our specialist teams are based at Urbanstr. 24 in Kreuzberg and Koppenstr. 38-40 in Friedrichshain.

Specialist team: Social Psychiatric Service (Sozialpsychiatrischer Dienst)

The Social Psychiatric Service provides consultation and advice for people with mental health problems and who are in crisis, addiction behaviours and resulting impairments in everyday living. If you are concerned about somebody else because they appear to have mental health problems, you can think through with us what might be able to be done. We are also a point of contact for professionals, caregivers, neighbours, friends and family, organisations and services, where there are questions about psychiatric conditions. The team is made up of social workers, (specialist) doctors in the fields of psychiatry, psychotherapy and neurology, psychological psychotherapists, and administrators. We provide consultation and advice in our offices, you can remain anonymous or use a pseudonym if you prefer. If the person is unable to visit our offices, we are able to come to them within the borough’s boundaries (e.g. at the scene of an incident, as a home visit, or whilst they are attending another service) in cases of severe mental distress. We provide the chance for you to talk through what is on your mind, think through with you about what form of help could be suitable, and also offer support over a longer period of time if there is not a more appropriate form of help available.

We advise and support people in the following circumstances:

• people with personal or social difficulties, e.g. if you feel overwhelmed by everyday contact with other people
• if you are feeling down, have thoughts of ending your own life or continue to be troubled by traumatic experiences
• if you are having difficulties with dealing with public authorities and institutions
• if you have questions about the options available in terms of therapy for people with mental health problems
• if you often experience conflict in social situations, withdraw from others for prolonged periods of time, or e.g. are experiencing difficulties with your sexual identity/orientation
• if your use of alcohol, recreational drugs or prescription medicines is having a negative impact on your everyday life
• if you are having distressing experiences such as hearing voices, feeling you are being observed, or have worries about “flipping out” or concerns for your mental health
• problems with managing everyday life due to a learning disability, ADHD, or memory problems
• if persecutory” thoughts such as “someone wants to cause me harm on purpose” are having an impact upon or impairing your personal or work life
• if you are worried about someone else and are not sure what to do.*

Services we provide:

• Advice, support and sign-posting to services who can further help, either in our open consultation hours or by appointment
• Crisis interventions and supportive conversations in the case of severe mental distress
• Home visits and outreach work
• Case consultation either in person or by telephone for professionals, legal guardians, institutions and third-sector providers of welfare services
• Psychiatric and social work assessments and reports for public sector authorities, commissioners and the courts.
• Information events for institutions about mental health problems.

Out of Hours service

An out of hours service is provided by the Berliner Krisendienst (Berlin Crisis Service) in Große Hamburger Straße 5, 10115 Berlin-Mitte, in the Ärztehaus Hedwig, Aufgang (Entrance) 1, on the ground floor, left-hand side (S-Bahn Hackescher Markt) Emergency contact: Telephone: [phone] – 10

Specialist team: Social Advisory Service (Soziale Beratung für behinderte, chronisch erkrankte und alte Menschen)

The Social Advisory Service for People with Disabilities and Chronic Health Problems and for Older People offers information and advice from social workers, sign-posting to and initiation of services as well as support in making applications for or clarifying issues regarding your rights to social welfare support. The consultation and advice is provided in our offices, or in your own home where this is necessary. We also advise friends and relatives.
The team is composed of social workers, a specialist doctor in general medicine and public health, as well as an administrator.
We are responsible for people with
• physical and sensory disabilities
• chronic illnesses including AIDS and cancer
• who do not have a specific illness but who are in later life.

General information

The Department for Prevention, Health Promotion and Health Assistance for Adults within the Public Health Office of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is, on the one hand, a psychosocial consultation service for local citizens and offers advice from social workers as well as doctors and psychologists, clinical diagnostics, sign-posting to and planning of further support as well as follow-up assistance. On the other hand, we are also tasked by the local authority to, for example, provide professional opinions on whether and to what extent particular interventions provided under SGB XII (the Social Security Statute Book XII) are necessary. Our staff advise and intervene in cooperation with other institutions and authorities (e.g. Child Welfare Services in the case of parents with mental health problems) the police (in their dealings with people whose behaviour causes concern) and the courts (psychiatric assessments, e.g. around the question of whether a guardian is necessary). We contribute towards the planning, quality assurance and development of the provision of psychiatric services in the community. Within the Social Psychiatric Service, the department also exercises official (sovereign) duties in line with the Berlin Law on Assistance and Protective Measures for Mental Illnesses (PsychKG). The legal basis for the work undertaken by the department (based upon the principle of subsidiarity) is the Berlin Law on Public Health Services..

Responsibilities, Aims, Future Directions – the mission statement of the Public Health Service

• carries the public responsibility for the health of the population
• is an integral building block of the modern welfare state
• is close to the communities and citizens it serves and is integrated into the structures and services of the local authority
• is guided by meeting local and global challenges
• is dedicated to the common good, without commercial interests
• has, as its core functions, the protection and promotion of health, the provision of consultation, information and advice, as well as governance and coordination of the provision of services
• exercises official (sovereign) duties and plans within a public health framework to ensure health equality and the best possible health outcomes for all and to creatively address health inequalities
• is staffed by highly-trained professionals with specialist knowledge and qualifications in medicine, health sciences and social care
• works in an evidence-based and interconnected environment
• takes ethical considerations seriously with respect to the dignity of each individual.