Scientific Documentation and Educational Department(SDED)
Education
Educational Programs completed during 2015-2016.
It was conducted from November 2015 until June 2016 and was composed of 9 meetings of theoretical education. The programme introduced the participants to the basic concepts of psychotherapy of Social and Emotional Development for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders of Medium and High Functionality.
Child and Adolescents’ Center has trained in its institutions, more than 100 young Mental Health professionals in the last 8years. Many of them were later employed at the Center or at other Mental Health Institutions.
Scientific Documentation and Research Department
Child and Adolescents’ Center during the 20 years of its operation has presented an important scientific and research work. The Scientific Documentation and Educational Department in direct co-operation with all the other Institutions of Child and Adolescents’ Center, promotes research activity and Scientific Documentation.

Research Programmes
The programme’s purpose is to a) record and describe the existing institutions/services and low regulations for people with ASD in Greece. b) Create a database with all the existing institutions/.services in every regional unit and district, accessible to any potential benefiter in need of their services or to professionals of health, mental health, educators, researchers and generally to anyone interested in these, so that a website can be created for the presentation of the institutions in every district and district unit in order to assess the quantitative and qualitative adequacy of the institutions and their services available for people with ASD.
The programme started in 2013 and is currently at the stage of the final data processing and analyzing. A questionnaire was used in order to collect the information of every institution. The questionnaire was planned according to the needs of the research and was sent to about 1500 Institutions in Greece.
According to the international bibliography, it is proved that the participation of the benefiters and their families is extremely important in order to improve the Mental health services provided. Child and Adolescent’s Center, having as main priority the improvement of the services provided, makes the first steps in calculating the Satisfaction Scale of the users of its services and their families as well.
The target of the Programme is to calculate the satisfaction scale of the users and their families and to record their opinions and suggestions so as to improve the quality of the Mental Health services provided and to plan suitable interventions in order to meet the requests of the users and their families.
The planning of the Programme has been completed and its implementation took place between October and December 2016. The Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) questionnaire, which has been translated into greek and has been calculated in Greece by the University of Ioannina (Medical School, Social Medical and Mental Health Department), will be used in order to estimate the satisfaction scale. The study for the recording of the satisfaction scale will be repeated periodically, so as to ensure the continual participation of the users and the improvement of the services provided.
The psychotherapeutic approach of the difficulties that people with Autism Spectrum Disorders have is part of managing these difficulties as a whole, especially for people with autism of medium and high functionality. At Child and Adolescent’s Center, during the last 10 years, we have been developing and evolving systematically, through our clinical psychotherapeutic practice with people with ASD of medium and high functionality, the Psychotherapy of Social and Emotional Development.
Within the frameworks of Psychotherapy of Social and Emotional Development skills connected with social communication and emotions managing are developed among others. The aim is to expand these skills in other environments (backgrounds), out of the therapeutic framework as well.
The target of the programme foresees the collection of information through a questionnaire, which is filled in by one of both parents. It has already been implemented in 4 Mental Health institutions and is going to the expanded at Child and Adolescent’s Center in October. The planning for the implementation of the programme at Child and Adolescent’s Center has been completed. The questionnaires will be given at the beginning of the therapy or at the beginning of the therapeutic period and after 9-11 months.
According to the bibliography and the data of the World Health Organization, prisoners tend to develop more often than other people mental health problems, before and during their imprisonment. Mental health conditions, such as depression, personality disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders especially of low and medium functionality and A.D.H.D, have been described as closely related to low offending behaviors in adolescents and young adults.
Child and Adolescent’s Center has a long experience of co-operation with the police and the court authorities, presenting the special features of people with psychiatric disorders who have broken the law, supporting the fulfilling of their needs and preventing secondary disorders. At the same time, we are aware of the fact that the existence of these needs is frequently underestimated or mainly becomes unnoticed in prisons or other correctional institutions, which has a negative effect on the development of these people.
The aim of this Programme is to evaluate the frequency of certain disorders among underage/young Adults who are imprisoned or under Court Custody and make the Court, Police and Social Authorities more sensitive to the special features and needs of people with these particular disorders, so as to plan and implement intervention actions, in order to support them and contribute to the prevention of a low-breaking behavior relapse, having always in mind the social and financial benefit.
The Programme is at the initial stage of planning, expanding of the research team, completing the bibliographical research an developing co-operations with institutes and people who are involved in managing Mental Morbidity and low-offending cases. The Programme will be submitted for financing in order to be implemented.