Outpatient service

  • At the first visit every client will undergo a complete psychological and physical evaluation by the case manager and the consultant psychiatrist.
  • The OPD timings are 9.30am and 01.00pm, 5 days a week except Tuesdays and second Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Our purpose is to work intensively with clients and their families to provide education about the illness, to provide medications and therapy.
  • A First Episode Psychosis program is ongoing to address the needs of clients (18-35yrs) who have never been treated or have taken medications only for less than 1 month implemented.
Multidisciplinary team: Psychiatrist, Psychiatric social worker, Psychologist, Nurses, Rehab personnel

Inpatient service

SCARF has 3 residential centers with total bed strength of 150.
  • Bhavishya Bhavan – The Thiruverkadu center was established in 1991 (on land donated by the temple trust with donations from Help Age India, IDBI, Madras Round Table I) and houses 70 mentally disabled women and elderly.
  • Bhagwan Mahavir Manav Sanmarga Seva Kendra (BMMSSK), a center with 40 beds for males in Mahabalipuram, on land donated by Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi with Sri. Sugalchand, Jindal Trust & Sri. G.N. Damani being the major donors.
  • Sarada Menon Centre in our main building in Anna Nagar was inaugurated in 2003 with contributions from the Chennai Willingdon Trust, the Swadhar scheme of the Government of India and the MK Tata Trust. It accommodates 40 persons who require rehabilitation.

Day Care

Clients are involved in activities ranging from making paper bags, areca plates (pakkumattai plates), printing, gardening, yoga, music etc. This is done with the primary objectives of symptom control, reducing disability, improving functioning and recovery.

Highlights

  • Free of cost
  • Free transportation
  • 60-70 people attend the Day centre in average
  • Cash incentives based on set criteria

Services

Vocational Training

  • Need-based skill training
  • Self employment
  • Income generation

Special services

  • Yoga
  • Domestic chores unit
  • Income generation group

Vocational rehabilitation

  • Need-based and driven by choice of the person with mental illness
  • Graded skill training activities
  • Various work units
  • Facilitate for open employment
  • Ensure sustainability in a job
  • Networking with employers

Respite care

  • For people with severe psychiatric disability

Community Mental Health Care

Treatment and rehab through outreach clinics to make psychiatric services more accessible to our patients in Thiruporur and Chetpet.

Training and involving community-level workers: Over the years, we have trained a substantial number of young people in the community, to identify a person with mental illness, help them access mental health care and implement simple psychosocial interventions.

Networking with other NGOs in the community to enable mobilization of resources within the community to aid the reintegration of the patient.

Mobile Telepsychiatry

A major innovation of SCARF has been the use of mobile telepsychiatry to provide treatment to persons in Pudukottai district. Covered 7 Districts; 5.2 lakhs population

A custom-built bus which travels around in rural areas, with all necessary communication equipments for consultation with the psychiatrist in SCARF, Chennai.

The pharmacy on the bus dispenses free medication as prescribed by the doctor.

Electronic records are maintained; follow-up ensured by community workers (CW).

Psychosocial interventions are carried out by CWs in Pudukottai with the help of local NGOs and community awareness programs are conducted.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation

Who benefits? Who delivers? Group Interventions
Clients Psychiatric social workers Activities of Daily Living Group
Caregivers Psychologists Caregiver’s Education Programme
Occupational therapists

Individual Interventions

  • Cognitive retraining
  • Independent living skills training
  • Social skills training
  • Counseling
  • Psycho education
  • Vocational skills training

Welfare Schemes

  • Disability certification
  • Free medicines
  • Guidance’s to access government disability pension, pension transfer, bus pass

Other activities

  • Workshops and Conferences
  • Journal club
  • Quarterly newsletter ‘Towards Recovery”
  • Staff training and supervision
  • Training in PSR for other mental health professionals

Psychological Services

Therapies

  • Cognitive
  • Behavior
  • Dialecti

Assessments

  • Diagnosis
  • Intelligence
  • Personality
  • Cognitive functions

Training & Workshops

  • Training & workshops are conducted on various therapies

Caregiver Education Program

SCARF initiated Caregiver education program (CEP), it has been running over 20 years. CEP is conducted for family members/caregivers of persons with Schizophrenia.

No. Question Answers
1. Who conducts? Case managers & Psychiatrists
2. Where does it take place? Auditorium, SCARF India
3. Who can attend? Caregivers, relatives & friends
4. When? 4th Saturday of every month
5. Cost of service? Free of cost
6. Method? Interactive, group psycho education & Films
7. Who refers? Treating team and caregivers themselves

Benefits of CEP

  • Better knowledge about illness and treatment adherence
  • Learning coping strategies
  • Care giver share and support each other
  • Reducing stigma
  • Disability certification and other benefits
Caregiver A : Most of the doubts built up over the period of time have been cleared through CEP
Caregiver B : I got a clear picture about the behavioral changes of the patient and how to handle them
Caregiver C : I realized the importance of family support to patient

First Episode Psychosis Programme