Mieli maasta ry - Depression alliance

Mieli Maasta ry is a nationwide non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Finland. The association forms a network for people suffering from depression, their family members, those interested in supporting depressed people, professionals and academia. The task of Mieli Maasta is to create new attitudes and increase knowledge about depression. The association organises self-help groups and rehabilitation and educational courses. The philosophy of the association emphasizes that those suffering from depression are the best experts of their own recovery and peer support is as important as other treatments. It’s objective is to support those who suffer depression as well as their family members and friends. The association aims to influence in the society to prevent depression.

The core of our action plan is to run peer-groups or self-help groups. Anyone can attend open groups just arriving at the meeting place in the beginning of a peer-group meeting. You can attend the group, if you are interested in your own or your family member’s well being. What is important  in the group, is expressing your feelings and sharing experiences with other peer-group members. The group meetings are regular and confidential.

The association organizes training for group facilitators. We also give support locally to start peer-groups all around Finland. We offer a low threshold possibility to join in the community where everyone is heard and understood.

THE OBJECTIVES OF MIELI MAASTA ARE:

• to support well-being and empowerment of people suffering from depression
• to ensure that people suffering from depression receive the treatment they need or some other form of help as early as possible
• to influence in society to prevent depression
• to develop the care and rehabilitation for depressed people
• to increase the information on the possibilities of peer-support
• to maintain public discussion on how to promote mental health
• to reduce self-destructive behaviour
• to increase an easy access information on depression

TRAINING

Depression sneaks in people’s lives secretly. The way how one experiences life, may differ from how it looks like from outside, and many people find it difficult to understand what the bad feeling is all about. People need more knowledge about depression on different levels:

• we need to inform the general public about depression and its occurrence and to teach people to seek for help and support  those who are depressed as well as their families and friends
• we need to organize training to volunteers, supporters and group facilitators on how to cope with depression
• we need to transmit experimental knowledge on depression to professionals and students

More information

toimistomielimaasta.fi

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