CGG VBO

Partner

In 2019, several institutions in Leuven decided to join forces. Since then, these core partners have formed an evolving network, an interesting model of collaboration for psychosocial and mental health care in Leuven. Across institutions, and not unimportantly across the cultural differences between these institutions, a shared transcultural vision and practice is growing. It is a way of thinking and working that is fruitful and bears fruit even beyond the direct work with migrants, refugees and newcomers.

This collaboration led to the creation of the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team in 2019. With the help of subsidies from the city of Leuven and the OCMW (Public Social Welfare Centre) of Leuven, the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team provides the following services:
– Offers transcultural psychotherapeutic and psychiatric treatments to people with a migration or refugee background. These consultations often take place in collaboration with a (social) interpreter or an intercultural mediator. Important referrers and partners are OCMW Leuven, De Nomade, CAW Leuven, the district health centres and psychiatric hospitals.
– Contributes to the development of new initiatives in the field of mental health care for newcomers within a broad partnership and responds to the acute needs of vulnerable groups (e.g. refugees from war zones).
– Provides monthly supervision sessions for intercultural mediators and culturally sensitive support workers. In addition, the team organises a bi-monthly transcultural intervision session for other Leuven-based social workers from the region who are interested in the transcultural vision. Finally, the team members provide short- and long-term supervision and case discussions at the request of external organisations.
– In collaboration with KU Leuven and UPC Kortenberg, the Transcultural Care CGG VBO team has established the Permanent Training Programme in Transcultural Mental Health Care. Several team members are part of the permanent core of trainers.
– Organises regular training courses and study days on transcultural mental health care and translates transcultural insights into scientific publications.

The CGG-VBO is a member of the CESSMIR sounding board group.

https://www.centrageestelijkegezondheidszorg.be/cgg/vlaams-brabant-oost/zorg