On Monday the 4th of February Impact House gave the floor to Geertrui Serneels, founder of Solentra.
Solentra, short for ‘Solidariteit en Trauma’, is the department of the UZ Brussel university hospital which specializes in diagnostic and therapeutic support for refugee and migrant children. To make their psychological care system accessible and efficient, Solentra has developed a culturally sensitive and community-based outreaching methodology called PACCT (Psychiatry Assisting Culturally diverse populations in Creating Healing Ties). By collaborating with public forces, associations, professionals, as well as refugee and migrant communities, they provide an ecological and multidimensional solution to the underutilization of mental healthcare services of these vulnerable groups.
Solentra was awarded the 2016 Maselis prize and their methodology was elected as one of the top 3 most promising practices across the 27 EU Member States by the International Organization for Migration. The department is now recognised as an influential entity, affecting politics at Belgian and European levels when it comes to assuring human rights to mental health.
On this Impact Monday, Geertrui Serneels shared her experience in the field of mental health care for refugee and migrant children, both as coordinator of solentra and as a social entrepreneur.