By Chares Tjatindi
OKONGUARI
The Okonguari Psychotherapeutic Centre recently celebrated 10 years of existence.
Since 1997, the centre has been offering psychotherapy treatment.
Okonguari’s method of treatment has been particularly successful in treating depressive disorders, anxiety-related disorders, personal dysfunctions and substance-related disorders, amongst others.
The centre, located about 90 km north-west of Outjo, mostly treats patients referred to it by other healthcare professionals.
The celebrations also coincided with the launching of a new look for the centre, which was unveiled by prominent businessman Frans Aupa Indongo.
Speaking at the occasion, Indongo used the opportunity to applaud the work of psychologists and staff members at the centre, whom he said have been working hard to secure an adequate environment for patients.
“We acknowledge the work that you do for Namibians, and want to thank you for that,” said Indongo.
Dr Herman Raath, a specialist clinical psychologist who has been in the field for many years, founded the Okonguari Psychotherapeutic Centre.
Raath noted that the idea behind Okonguari’s foundation was to provide for a therapeutic centre free from traditional restrictions. He said traditionally mental health institutions are overburdened with too many patients, resulting in a situation where staff can no longer cope and care for individuals.
Personalised treatment and one-to-one attention are neglected.
“The obvious solution to this was a unique and smaller patient-friendly therapeutic environment, adaptable to the specific treatment needs of every individual,” said Raath.
The centre currently cares for about nine patients, to whom specialised care is accorded on a daily basis.
Okonguari is also one of the few training institutes offering full-time, paid internship for clinical psychologists in Namibia.