ORGANISATION

Dr. Matcheswalla’s Counselling Centre at Saifee Court, Flat No 3, 53/C, Clare Road, Byculla, Mumbai 400008 caters to a wide range of counselling services and specialized therapies for psychiatric disorders, addiction problems, marriage & sex problems, child and adolescent problems, geriatric disorders including clinical psychology, psychological evaluation and appropriate referrals.

A holistic client-centred team comprising of psychiatrist, psychiatric counsellor, clinical psychologist, child and adolescent counsellor, marriage counsellor, family counsellor, addiction counsellor, special educator, dyslexic specialist, meditation facilitator, social worker and a host of alternate therapists assist clients into recovery by treating the individual as a whole- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The centre works under the able direction Dr. A. M. Gabhrani, who can be contacted on 91-22-2309 4256 OR 98211 19603

People involved with Mental illnesses /addictions notice that the family, most often the primary care giver, is under enormous stress every day. Personal stress is something that often goes unacknowledged.

The sick person becomes a priority, and we forget our own needs. The day to day tasks involved in caring for a loved dependent depletes and robs us of our energy.

Eventually we end up with stress exhaustion, and this can lead to depression, anxiety, burnout, and psychosomatic illnesses.

Meeting with other families that share a similar experience has proven invaluable in easing the burden.

The support / self-help group relies on the experience of members as much as on the knowledge of experts.

The group provides participants with four broad opportunities:

~ The unique support, understanding and strength given by people who are experienced in caring for a person with schizophrenia /addictions.

~ The chance to learn from the combined wisdom of others experienced in coping with day to day problems.

~ The potential to make new friends when years of being a care giver has left people isolated.

~ The encouragement and support to work towards improving the lot for both people with mental illnesses /addictions and their families.

DILAASA can be contacted through:

ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE DILAASA SELF-HELP GROUP

DILAASA can be contacted through:
Mr. Rusi Bilimoria on 98204 19435 OR
Mr. Abol Hasan Wahanvaty on 98204 95557 OR
Mr. Shabbir Shahpurwalla on 98201 98220

Staffed by a senior Neurologist and a very experienced technician, the E.E.G Lab with state of the art equipment (32 channel Video machine) is functional 24 hours at Masina Hospital.

A variety of E.E.G recordings can be done here, including Sleep E.E.G.

To get in touch with E.E.G Laboratory, call:
Dr. Badrealam Syed on 93221 66670 OR
Ms. Maya Dave on 23714889 (Extn: 288)

The 24 / 7 Crisis Prevention Helpline has just taken off as has the 24 / 7 Emergency Ambulance Service. The “24 / 7 crisis prevention help line” will work twenty four hours of the day attending to those in need of urgent assistance. A depressive case who is in a suicidal mood can receive immediate attention over the phone with a counsellor who can talk the person into a better frame of mind and avert possible tragedy. Similarly, a drug addict or an alcoholic who has become aggressive or violent can receive help over the phone to tone down his aggressive posturing. The help-line also aims at disseminating information about mental health and addition issues at educational institutes, law enforcement agencies, togovernmental officials, the judiciary and other social welfare organisations.

In case the problem is beyond the ken of the “Help-line” and physical intervention is necessitated, the “24 / 7 emergency ambulance service”, which is a collaborative effort with Masina Hospital , can be called upon to stave off tragedy. The specialized service with a dedicated ambulance with a dedicated team consisting of a physician, a counsellor and trained ward boys can swiftly reach the location where the episode is taking place and help diffuse the situation with medication and counselling. After that theservice can also assist in the admission of the patient into appropriate treatment settings.

The uniqueness of the ambulance service lies in the fact that a multi-specialty staff will be manning it. All the staff are trained to respond to virtually every kind of situation. Thus, it is not necessary that the ambulance can be called for only psychiatric cases. It is suitable for any kind pf patient reception, including burns cases, because it is air-conditioned.

The contact numbers of the Psychiatric Ambulance Service and the Helpline Service is 022 6450 7171

The Masina Institute of Psychotherapy and Behavioural Sciences and Counselling Centre, Masina Hospital, Sant Savta Marg, Byculla (E), Mumbai 400027.

The institute provides comprehensive whole person treatment and care services to a wide spectrum of clients. Among the services are:

• Counselling of patients
• Counselling of families
• Group therapy
• Group activity
• Psychological evaluation
• Psycho-education
• Day care for geriatric patients with comprehensive whole person care*, Including Dementia, Alzheimers and other old age problems like Depression, etc
• Day care centre for patients with psychiatric problems
• Other therapies and activities for patients with serious mental disorders

*(includes diagnostics – if needed, medical and psychiatric treatment and care, medical and psychiatric monitoring, psycho-social therapy and care, occupational/recreational therapy including yoga and physical training, medical and psychiatric emergencies - as expected in old age will be addressed on the spot.)

It will also be a centre of education and academics for the caregivers of psychiatric cases, addiction cases and other emotionally disturbed cases, for general practitioners and lay persons interested in the field of psychiatry.

Among the academic activities that will be undertaken are:

• Training programmes for psychiatric cases
• Training programmes for caregivers of addiction cases
• Training programmes for caregivers of the old and infirm
• Training programmes for general practitioners
• Training programmes for psychologists, counselors and social workers
• Training programmes for lay persons interested in psychiatry

Contact:

            DR. Y. A. MATCHESWALLA 98200 81884
            JATISH SHAH 98195 33496
            DR. A. M. GABHRANI 98211 19603
            AMBREEN PRADHAN 98704 07748