NALAM offers community mental health services that combine clinical interventions with social entitlements through grassroots action by locally recruited and trained mobilisers and outpatient services by multidisciplinary teams.
Partnerships
NALAM is a community mental health approach combines clinical interventions with social entitlements through grassroots action by locally recruited and trained mobilisers and outpatient services by multidisciplinary teams at proximal locations such as Primary Health Centres. NALAM mobilisers based in villages and urban wards engage with the community, identify those with psychosocial distress and if in need of clinical care escalate a referral to the closest outpatient clinic. Home visits and home-based care are conducted to engage with the household and person with the mental health issue, link them with necessary entitlements and offer supportive counselling and problem solving to unpack dynamics involved in the process of navigating the mental health issue. Employment placements, via skills development or supported employment pathways, are offered to help people in their return to work and better personal incomes. Besides employment NALAM offers select households in extreme socio-economic distress packages of social care including basic income transfers, disability allowance, housing support and educational and mentorship assistance for children living with parental mental illness.
9 wards of Chennai city including two that are in collaboration with Stella Maris College and Loyola College,
Thiruporur Taluk, Kattumannarkoil and Sriperumbudur Taluks (in partnership with National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu) in Tamil Nadu
Shahapur Taluk in Maharashtra (in collaboration with Integrated Rural and Human Development Project, Tata Institute of Social Sciences)
Ottapalam (in collaboration with Ottapalam Welfare Trust)
Impact
10,000
people have received early access to care under NALAM
2000
people access services on a monthly basis
35 - 40 %
return to work post receiving care
800
children living with parental mental illness and at-risk children receive supports annually to break Inter-generational cycles of deprivation
200
NALAM mobilisers have been trained via Diploma in Community Mental Health to offer supportive mental health services in community settings
Story of C
I walked into one of NALAM clinics two years ago. Poverty, pressures of home and the community interfered with my wellbeing. My children were offered financial and academic support to re-enter schooling. This year I finally harvested a crop of greens from my land which was barren for several years. The relationships I have with my family and the larger community have become more supportive and affectionate as well.
