Mr. Jorge Fernández López is a psychologist and director of the Minimum Requirements Intervention Centre of the Anti-AIDS Citizen Committee of the Valencian Community. C.I.B.E MARÍTIM
He presented the characteristics of the centre he runs; which main objective is the comprehensive attention of active drug addicts in order to improve their quality of life. This service is an essential resource both for society and for those who take advantage of it. This idea came up from a popular initiative formed in 1985 as a citizen committee to treat AIDS. Currently, the centre has adapted to social demands by creating several resources such as supervised apartments, medical assistance services, groups of self-help, support, accompaniment and labour-social guidance. They perform multidisciplinary work, with professionals of different areas: psychology, medicine, nursery, social work, etc. All of them are oriented towards achieving self-sufficiency and social normalisation.
The assistance they provide is framed into damage reduction in which the aim is not to achieve abstinence, as they work with active drug consumers. Therefore, their approach is summed up as “What can we do for you?” They benefit from active listening of each individual as their main tool.
He also pointed out that the people they treat at their centre form part of what is called “hidden population”. They are individuals who do not use the existing resources because they are in a situation of neglect and apathy. They are the sector of population more vulnerable to drug abuse, always at risk of social exclusion and they don’t even expect to stop consuming drugs. These people need a particular intervention with short- and medium-term objectives taking care of their basic needs: hygiene, nutrition, rest - which is framed in damage reduction with the aim of improving their quality of life without considering abstinence.
CIBE MARITIM centre is one of the institutions where our Master’s students have been carrying out internships for several years with great results and satisfaction for their professional training.
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