Austrian group supports people through mental health crises
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Youth at Work Steiermark, an Austrian organisation, provides mobile psychosocial support to people experiencing mental health challenges across most of the Steiermark region.
Alice Schreiner, head of mobile services, explained that the Mobile sozialpsychiatrische Betreuung (MSB) team helps clients directly in their own environments, lowering the barrier to seeking help. The program focuses on stabilising clients so they can live independently, offering assistance with things like finding specialist doctors and managing finances.
The MSB team recently helped a woman named Frau M. in Voitsberg resolve family conflicts, neighbour disputes, and rental arrears caused by mental health issues. After two years of support, Frau M. has re-established family contact, paid her debts, and regularly attends medical appointments. In another case, the team collaborated with a job training program to help a man named Herr T. from Graz, who had been unemployed due to mental illness, begin an apprenticeship and find ongoing therapy.
Currently, Youth at Work supports 270 clients through the MSB program throughout Steiermark, excluding the districts of Weiz and Deutschlandsberg. People seeking support need approval from their local district authority or the city of Graz, but Youth at Work can assist with the application process.
