Uruguay – Dianova Chosen to Implement a “Citadel” Program

Interview with psychologist

 

Interview with the coordinator of the upcoming “Citadel” program, managed by Dianova in the Department of Maldonado (Uruguay)

Hello, my name is Lucía Pereyra Birriel, I have a Degree in Psychology and a Pg.Dip in Drug Addiction from the Catholic University of Uruguay. I’ve been working in the addiction field since 2006.

How long have you been working in Dianova?

I joined the technical team of the Dianova Foundation in Uruguay in 2008, and I am currently the coordinator of the outpatient service. I have also participated as a workshop facilitator in different projects in the training and learning area, on the addiction issue. Last year, I coordinated a prevention project under the theme of psychoactive substances in the educational sphere, in the Uruguayan regions of Maldonado, Rocha, Treinta y Tres, and Lavalleja.

In the coming months, my current responsibilities will transition to coordinator of the Maldonado’s “Citadel” program, given that Dianova Uruguay has been awarded the license to manage this program.

Whart is the “Citadel” program and how did it arise?

Citadel is a reference program focused towards giving information, counseling, evaluation and appropriate referral services to problematic drug users, their relatives and reference persons. They can be derived from the welfare or judicial system, or come to us out of personal motivation.

More on Dianova Uruguay

The Citadel program is part of the National Drug Strategy, promoted by the Junta Nacional de Drogas (National Drug Council). The Citadel program is managed by the National Drug Council which was also responsible, in coordination with regional drug councils, for designing and orienting calls for tenders to civil society organizations with the aim of coordinating organizational resources and private and public health stakeholders according to each region’s necessities.

Citadel Program

For whom does the program apply and for what purpose?

The Maldonado’s Citadel program will serve as an entry point and local coordinator of the healthcare system based on the overall objectives of information, counselling, evaluation and referral mentioned above. The program will  initially be carried on by a multidisciplinary team composed of a psychiatrist, two graduates in psychology, a social worker and a social educator, all of them duly experienced and specifically trained in the addiction field.

The Maldonado program will address the needs of children, adolescents and adults who misuse substances; besides, it will provide support and counselling to their parents, close relatives and reference persons. .

The existence and the relevance of the Maldonado’s Citadel program is grounded on various factors: a non-hospital service offer, integration in the community, coordination with the region’s healthcare network, and the availability of services. In addition, the program will aim to link together the various intervention areas, in terms of prevention, education and reintegration, in order to ensure an effective integration back in the community.