24 May

24 May 25 | 18:00 - 21:00

Open Event in Tripoli on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Successfully Concluded

More than 130 people attended the open event organized by the Medical Association of Arcadia, with the honored participation of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI), on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Malliaropouleio Theatre of the Municipality of Tripoli.

The event, titled “Talking About the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Arcadia: Needs and Solutions”, was held to mark May as Mental Health Awareness Month and aimed to inform and raise awareness within the local community on critical issues affecting child and adolescent mental health.

The event opened with a video message from the Deputy Minister of Health, Dimitris Vartzopoulos, and was attended by representatives of both first- and second-level local government. The audience included doctors, health and mental health professionals, educators, and parents. The opening remarks and moderation of the first panel were delivered by Vassilis Psychogios, President of the Medical Association of Arcadia and Treasurer of the Panhellenic Medical Association.

Snapshots from the event with CAMHI's speakers Efi Kapsimalli (left), Theano Touma (down, left) and Dr Anastasia Koumoula (down, right)

Attendees had the opportunity to follow two panel discussions featuring specialized mental health professionals and CAMHI collaborators. Specifically:

First Panel:

Dimitris Karvounis, Child Psychiatrist at the General Panarcadian Hospital of Tripoli – spoke on the challenges in delivering child mental health services.
Nikolaos Christopoulos, Regional Education Supervisor – addressed the opportunities and barriers in schools regarding students’ mental resilience.
Gelly Zeppou, Pediatrician – emphasized the role of pediatricians in children’s emotional development.

Second Panel – CAMHI Presentation:

Representatives of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative presented key training and intervention programs, including:

An overview of CAMHI’s work, presented by Dr. Anastasia Koumoula, Child Psychiatrist and Director of CAMHI.
Specialized training programs for educators, child psychiatrists, psychologists, and health professionals, presented by Efi Kapsimalli and Theano Touma, Child Psychiatrists and Scientific Advisors to CAMHI.

The Malliaropouleio Municipal Theatre of Tripolis where the event was hosted

In a related statement, Efi Kapsimalli, a Tripoli native, noted: “The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), as part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative, currently operates five hub centers through a public network of mental health professionals in Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupoli, Heraklion, and Ioannina. Exploring the inclusion of Arcadia in our programs is a step toward our decentralization strategy, aiming to respond more directly to the needs of communities throughout Greece.”

The event concluded with an open discussion with the audience, during which the need for greater information, improved access to services, and enhanced support for parents and professionals working closely with children was strongly highlighted.

Find here the Agenda of the event (in GR)

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative is implemented in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute (New York) and with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), as part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative (GHI).