PAU Hospitals Community Mental Health Center Selected as a Pilot Center for the EU-Funded DTC4EU Project
The Pamukkale University (PAU) Hospitals Community Mental Health Center has been selected as one of the nine pilot Community Mental Health Centers in Türkiye to participate in the DTC4EU (Democratic Therapeutic Communities for Social Inclusion) project, which has been awarded funding under the European Union Erasmus+ Programme.
Within the scope of the project, coordinated by the Burdur Provincial Health Directorate, the PAU Hospitals Community Mental Health Center, one of the nine pilot Community Mental Health Centers selected in Türkiye, will contribute to activities carried out in collaboration with international partners.
Representing the center in the project, Prof. Ayşe Nur İnci Kenar, Head Physician of the Community Mental Health Center, provided information about the project. Prof. Kenar stated that the project is coordinated by La Mimosa Società Cooperativa Sociale from Italy and involves institutions from Türkiye, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Spain, and Portugal. She explained that the project aims to increase the participation of individuals with severe mental health problems in social life, strengthen community-based mental health services, and enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working in the field of mental health. Prof. Kenar further noted that the project plans to develop a Democratic Therapeutic Community (DTC) accreditation model that can be implemented across Europe and to carry out pilot applications. She also stated that the participating institutions will benefit from international training and experience-sharing activities.
One of the project's main activities consists of “Terna” visits, which will be carried out among the pilot centers based on peer evaluation. Within this framework, the nine pilot Community Mental Health Centers participating in the project in Türkiye will be organized into groups of three and will take part in reciprocal evaluation activities.
Through the DTC4EU Project, it is aimed to strengthen quality standards in mental health services, expand community-based care models, and develop examples of good practice that support the social inclusion of individuals experiencing mental health problems. The knowledge and experience gained through the project are expected to contribute to the development of community-based mental health services in both our province and throughout Türkiye.