About

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI)

What is CAMHI?

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) was launched at the beginning of 2021, with the aim of contributing to the strengthening of mental health care provided to children and adolescents, as well as enhancing the infrastructure for the prevention, assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with mental health needs in Greece. The project is developed and implemented by a nationwide Network of public sector mental health agencies and professionals, in collaboration with Child Mind Institute in New York City. It is developed on the basis of a partnership model with the Greek Public Sector and is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, in accordance with the institutional framework described in Law 5015/2023.

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative is exclusively supported by Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) within the framework of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) of SNF.

Mental health services should not be a luxury, or a privilege reserved for only a few, but a given for anyone who needs them, starting in childhood.

Andreas Dracopoulos

Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Co-President

Across the world, millions of children struggle with mental health and learning disorders. If we can reach them and provide care early, their lives can change in incredible ways.

Harold S. Koplewicz, MD

President, Child Mind Institute

Our Mission

Improve the provision of mental health care for children and adolescents, and strengthen the infrastructure for the prevention, assessment, and treatment of mental health difficulties faced by children and adolescents throughout Greece.

Our Vision

Every child, adolescent, and family in Greece has access to quality mental health care and reliable sources of information

Our Values

Focus on Children and Adolescents

The majority of all mental health and learning challenges arise during childhood but are often overlooked and left untreated, which can lead to long-term difficulties persisting into adulthood. However, research has shown that these real and common issues can be treated, and the earlier a child receives care, the better the outcome. Providing children and adolescents with mental health care can result in a lifetime of improved health and well-being.

Promote Equity in Care

Every child and adolescent has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health care, yet access to quality resources and services has not been equitable. Income disparity, a shortage of mental health care providers, and geographic isolation are just a few of the many barriers to equitable care in Greece and worldwide. By making all our resources, trainings, and tools free and available to anyone, anywhere—from the biggest cities to the smallest islands—and by working with a network of providers serving different communities across the country, we aspire to help increase access to and equity of care.

Integrate Greek and International Expertise

We are leveraging state-of-the-art scientific and clinical research, conducted in Greece and around the world, to produce and culturally adapt reliable resources and effective treatments for all children and adolescents. This work is carried out through close collaborations between Greek and international mental health experts and is enhanced by input from local families and communities. 

Follow the Science

There are a variety of mental health treatments in use today, but not all are supported by science. Our training curriculum embraces a variety of approaches to address child and adolescent mental health challenges that are supported by rigorous, peer-reviewed research. In this way, the curriculum encompasses multiple schools of thought, with approaches that have been proven effective and are based on the best available evidence. It is designed to meet the realities of the public health system and maximize the benefit of CAMHI according to the needs and strengths on the ground.

Raise Awareness & Reduce Stigma

One of the most challenging barriers to effective mental health care is lack of proper awareness about how common mental health conditions are and the existence of effective treatments, combined with widespread stigma, such as false ideas that mental health issues are imaginary or shameful. We know that mental health is an integral part of health and must be treated as such. We also know that mental health and developmental disorders are real, common, and treatable. That’s why we are working to open the conversation, to let everyone know that they are not alone. No one should feel ashamed, and everyone should be aware that help is available.

Listen to Youth

“Nothing about us without us.” Youth voices need to be heard and considered, and available resources and information must be effectively suited to their needs and adapted to their context and current reality. We systematically include the views of children and adolescents across Greece into all of CAMHI’s components on an ongoing basis through five Youth Advisory Boards that operate in five cities across Greece.

Our Aims

1

Establish a country-wide NETWORK ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH

2

Raise AWARENESS about mental health

3

Increase ACCESS to evidence-based mental health resources

4

Enhance CAPACITY for delivering science-supported mental health care

5

Develop DIGITAL PLATFORMS & TECHNOLOGY for telemental health

Our Approach

To achieve our Aims, CAMHI includes five mutually reinforcing components:

  1. Conduct and use a robust LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS to (1) assess the needs for mental health care for children, adolescents, and their families; (2) assess barriers and facilitators to accessing quality mental health care; (3) understand clinical practices, standards of care, and training needs from mental health and psychosocial care providers; and (4) identify barriers and facilitators for the development, cultural adaptation, and implementation of effective, accessible trainings.
  2. Build PARTNERSHIPS between clinicians across the country and internationally, fostering a sense of community that includes universities, public hospitals, community clinics and centers, nonprofit and community-based organizations, schools, parents, youth, and professional associations, to ensure that resources and trainings are culturally relevant, effective, and widely accessible.
  3. Establish and support a country-wide NETWORK ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH to enhance national capacity for mental health care, to strengthen referral networks and platforms for exchange of best practice, and to pave the way for the uptake and scaling up of science-based practices.
  4. Deliver BASIC AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS supported by science. The basic training program provides information that every professional working with children should know about mental health and child protection. Specialized trainings in evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments for health professionals help further increase capacity to deliver effective, scalable, measurable, and science-supported mental health care to children and adolescents in Greece.
  5. Develop and implement a DIGITAL PLATFORM AND TECHNOLOGY FOR TELEMENTAL HEALTH to:
    • Facilitate and host free remote trainings so that more professionals and educators can access state of the art trainings and resources in a flexible and convenient manner.
    • Disseminate free, accessible, and reliable resources to caregivers, adolescents, professionals, and educators regardless of where they are located.
    • Transparently and openly share the data collected in the landscape analysis and related research so it is freely available for the Greek and international research communities.
    • Host awareness-raising and anti-stigma campaigns for the community.
    • Expand mental health care beyond conventional settings to make resources accessible even in the most remote areas.

The Network for Child & Adolescent Mental Health

The Network for Child & Adolescent Mental Health is the main planning and implementing body of CAMHI. It comprises five individual hub centres in Alexandroupolis, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Athens, and Heraklion in Crete, which ensure that the implementation of the program best responds to the diverse and specific needs that exist in different regions of the country, including remote areas with difficult access to services. The Network for Child & Adolescent Mental Health has been established on the basis of institutional partnerships with public child and adolescent mental health clinics across Greece and its role as the implementing body of CAMHI is outlined in Law 5015/2023, as well as in the individual Memoranda of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Health and the respective child and adolescent mental health clinics of the following hospitals: Children's Hospital "Aghia Sophia", General Hospital of Thessaloniki "G. Papanikolaou, Thessaloniki "Hippokratio" General Hospital, Alexandroupolis University General Hospital, Ioannina University General Hospital, and Heraklion University General Hospital.

ATHENS
THESSALONIKI
HERAKLION
IOANNINA
ALEXANDROUPOLI
Thessaloniki

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department of G.G. Papanikolaou Hospital and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic of Ippokrateio Hospital play a crucial role in achieving the scope of CAMHI and providing information and mental health care resources for children and adolescents in Northern Greece. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department of the Papanikolaou Hospital has an Inpatient Department and a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre - with 14 Outpatient Clinics. Similarly, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic of the Ippokrateio Hospital has an Inpatient Department, Outpatient Clinics, and a Medical and Educational Station. The departments of both hospitals are Training Centres in Child Psychiatry.

Based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the General Hospital G. Papanikolaou and Ippokrateio General Hospital, CAMHI, and the Ministry of Health, the hub center of Thessaloniki joined the Network after the merging of the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, to cover the prefectures of Thessaloniki, Kilkis, Serres and Halkidiki, Pella, Imathia, and Pieria.

Community Mental Health Centre for Children & Adolescents (Ko.Ke.P.S.Y.P.E.)
G.N. "G. Papanikolaou"
1 Kosma Aitolou, Evosmos, Thessaloniki 562 24
Tel.: 231 051 5655
Email: [email protected]
Ippokrateio General Hospital of Thessaloniki
Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Department
49 Konstantinoupoleos Street, Thessaloniki 546 42
Tel. centre: 231 331 2000
Email: [email protected]

Evangelini (Lillian) Athanasopoulou, head
Nikos Zilikis, head
Vaios Dafoulis, head
Despina Kioteoglo, member
Irini Paraschou, administrative support

Alexandroupoli

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) Network of the CAMHI was officially launched in early 2022 through a partnership with the University General Hospital of Alexandroupoli and the hospital’s Child Psychiatric Clinic. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Hospital and Child Psychiatric Clinic, the CAMHI, and the Hellenic Ministry of Health marked the official creation of the Alexandroupoli hub as a collaborating center for the Network which serves not only the city of Alexandroupolis, but also the broader region of Thrace and nearby islands. 

University Child Psychiatry Clinic,
University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis
6th km. Alexandroupolis-Makri, Dragana, Alexandroupolis, 68100
Tel: +30 25513 - 51000 / 25513 - 52000 / 25513 - 53000
Email: [email protected]

Aspasia Serdari, head
Nana Zeleni, member
Anna Kroustalaki, member
Sotiria Mitroulaki, member

Heraklion

CAMHI's hub centre in Heraklion Crete was created based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Crete, the Child Psychiatry Clinic of the University General Hospital of Heraklion, CAMHI, and the Ministry of Health, achieving this way the expansion of the Network on the largest island of Greece. In addition to serving Heraklion - the largest city in Crete, the Crete hub centre is responsible for providing information and care resources to a wide geographical area that includes smaller communities, remote areas, and other islands. The Crete hub centre is involved in the main pillars of the Programme, responding to local needs, focusing on the design and implementation of a series of training programs, both advanced and more general, designed for mental health specialists, health professionals, teachers, and other professionals working with children and adolescents. It is also involved in the implementation of the YES Youth Engagement Scheme with the establishment of adolescent advisory groups (13-17 years old) in Crete. Its activities incorporate the continuous research and enrichment of CAMHI's database, emphasizing the inclusion of different views and multiple perspectives, with the main objective of improving the mental health of children and adolescents in the area and throughout the country.

Child Psychiatry Clinic
University General Hospital of Heraklion (Pa.G.N.H.)
University Ave., Voutes, Heraklion, Crete 71500
Tel.: +30 2 2813 402025
Email: [email protected]

Maria Basta, head
Anna Botzaki, member
George Gerostergios, member

Athens

The Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2024 between the General Children's Hospital "Aghia Sophia", the Child Psychiatry Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI), marked the official launch of the University Child Psychiatry Clinic as one of CAMHI's Network hub centers. The Athens hub center provides training programs to educators and mental health professionals (child and adolescent psychiatrists and psychologists) as well as clinical services in a wide area of the Prefecture of Attica. The scientific team of CAMHI's coordinating center works closely with the University Child Psychiatry Clinic and starting in July 2024 it will be based in the premises of the Aghia Sophia General Children's Hospital, which was renovated with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

"Agia Sophia" Children's Hospital,
Child Psychiatry Clinic
Doxiadis Building (2nd floor)
Thivon and Papadiamantopoulou avenues, Athens 115 27
Tel.: +30 213 2013298, 210 6924467
Email: [email protected]

Katerina Papanikolaou, head
Calliope Triantaphyllou, member
Christina Tsoukala, member

Ioannina

The University General Hospital of Ioannina and the Psychiatric Clinic of the P.G.N.I. play a crucial role in expanding the scope of CAMHI and offering sources of information and mental health care for children and adolescents in Northwest Greece. Based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Hospital and the Psychiatric Clinic, CAMHI and the Hellenic Ministry of Health, the Ioannina hub center joined the Network and operates within the Community Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Ko.Ke.P.S.Y.P.E.) with a significant role in serving the broad geographic area of Epirus, providing support in areas of its jurisdiction where child and adolescent mental health services are particularly limited.

Community Mental Health Centre for Children and Adolescents (Ko.Ke.P.S.Y.P.E.)
University General Hospital of Ioannina
Stavros Niarchos Avenue, 455 00 Ioannina
Tel: +30 26510 68185 – 67388
Εmail: [email protected]

Konstantinos Kotsis, head
Andromachi Mitropoulou, member
Alexandra Tzotzi, member

About the Global Health Initiative

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative is part of Stavros Niarchos Foundation's (SNF ) Global Health Initiative (GHI). GHI comprises a multidimensional set of projects, developed and implemented with the exclusive donation of SNF, aiming to expand access to healthcare and enhance the quality of health services for all. The more than 70 donations made by GHI are implemented both in Greece and internationally, and include infrastructure projects, equipment supply, educational programs, and exchange of know-how, as well as major initiatives in the field of mental health, infectious diseases, and more. GHI is an endorsement of the mission of SNF, and its long-standing commitment to support health and projects that serve the public welfare in Greece and around the world.

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