• Julkaistu
• 4.07.07

The Crisis Prevention Center

SOS Center - Crisis Prevention
Maistraatinportti 4 A, 4th floor
00240 Helsinki

The crisis prevention center for foreigners works to help all foreigners living in Finland as well as their families to cope with psychological and social problems.

Open Hours
9 a.m. till 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Tel (09) 4135 0501. No referral is needed, but appointments should preferably be made in advance.

Client Work
In the crisis prevention center, clients can discuss their life situations and problems in their native tongue or in some other language they have in common with the staff members. The staff is used to working with the help of an interpreter, and the center has built up a network of professional interpreters. The central idea of the center is to offer quick, flexible assistance. The client does not have to give his or her name and services are free of charge. A network of consultants makes it possible to offer services in other parts of Finland. The crisis prevention center takes responsibility for the overall situation of its clients, arranging for continued or additional care as needed.

Training, Counseling and Cooperation
The crisis prevention center offers the local authority and institutions training and counseling services in order to make it easier for them to work with foreigners. The center provides training for civil servants and members of the caring profession whom meet foreigner in connection with their daily work. The training is planned separately for each target group. In this way the center wants to spread information and develop existing services. The crisis prevention center gathers information about existing interpreter services and takes part in the training of interpreter for the social and health care services. The center strives to improve the possibilities for foreigners to secure and promote their own wellbeing.

Expert Services
The crisis prevention center gathers and disseminates information on the psycho-social wellbeing of foreigners for the use of the authorities, institutions and the media. The center also want to increase tolerance and fight against the prejudices prevalent in our society. The center is part of the Finnish Association for Mental Health.