SADAG Western Cape

About SADAG Western Cape

Our Vision and Mission

To advocate for Mental Health, focus on breaking the stigma around Mental Health and creating education and awareness across the Western Cape by creating and sustaining a SADAG satellite office in Cape Town. Through providing relevant, appropriate Mental Health information and support services to various stakeholders in the province.

Our Objectives

To grow and develop the capacity of our SADAG Cape counsellors and call centre through effective recruitment, selection and training strategies.
To facilitate and manage the SADAG Cape Town-based Call-Centre providing counselling, containment and referrals to callers nationwide. This service will provide augmentative support to the general helplines run by SADAG Head Office.
To advocate for the rights of those affected directly or indirectly by Mental Illnesses through participation in various Mental Health Forums in the Western Cape and raising awareness through media and social media platforms.
To provide training and ongoing support to all Support Group and Peer Support Group Leaders in the Western Cape.
To facilitate Mental Health Workshops (in-person and virtual), Wellness Days and Commemoration Days in the Western Cape.
To provide Mental Health talks at a local and provincial level across different schools, communities and organisations in the Western Cape.

Our Key Focus Areas are:

Facilitating in-house training and support for those accepted into the ‘SADAG Volunteer Programme’.
Facilitating Support Group training for people wanting to run Support Groups and Peer Support Groups.
Promoting Mental Healthcare education in companies amongst employers and employees.
Improving Mental Healthcare literacy amongst students at secondary and tertiary education levels.
Raising Mental Health awareness in communities through community workshops which are conducted in a culturally appropriate manner.
Promoting, sharing and advocating Mental Health issues via media/social media regularly.
SADAG Cape Town aims to develop and implement special programs tailored to the needs of specific populations or communities within Cape Town which focus on mental health issues affecting marginalized groups.

Background of SADAG Cape Town

SADAG Cape Town was born out of a three-day set of workshops that SADAG hosted in Cape Town in 2022 to spread awareness around Mental Health and the SADAG services in different provinces.

This gave way to an unexpected, beautiful partnership with Cornerstone Institute which offered SADAG a satellite home to establish our small call centre in the Western Cape. We started with 15 volunteer counsellors and two years later we have grown exponentially!

Since its founding in 2022, SADAG Cape Town has been dedicated to providing support, education, and advocacy for individuals in Cape Town and surrounding areas who are affected by Depression, Anxiety, and related Mental Health issues. SADAG Cape Town focuses on growing and supporting our counsellors and Support Groups in the Western Cape and also has a keen focus on conducting educational workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns to increase understanding about Mental Health issues in different locations, reduce stigma, and promote early intervention and treatment.

Overall, SADAG Cape Town plays a vital role in the local Mental Health landscape by offering support, raising awareness, and advocating for better services and resources for individuals affected by Mental Health issues.

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