The Social Clinic

2,000 Euro Prize 2015

Country: Czech Republic

Region: Implemented nationwide

Sector: Civil Society / Social Economy

Fields of action: Mental health

Project owner: Czech Institute for Biosynthesis

Responsible person: Mgr. Anna Audrlická

Website: Weblink

What is it about?

The Social Clinic project offers psychotherapeutic services to people in difficult life situations who currently cannot afford to pay for their therapy. A marked advantage of the Social Clinic is promptness of help and providing services by experienced volunteer therapists. Psychotherapeutic services are provided for a lower payment based on individual financial capabilities of the clients.

Appreciation of the Jury

For people in multiple-problem situations, the door to psychotherapy is usually closed. Yet such interventions have an especially significant leverage effect for them. The psychotherapy door is usually closed because the public offer is too small and such help will thus take too long. And the private offer is too expensive. The “Social Clinic” has short waiting times and you pay what you can pay. The “Social Clinic” brings committed therapists and socially weak clients together. A privately organised, indirect redistribution from economically better positioned to economically weaker clients, so to say. Thus an innovative handling of simultaneous state and market failures.