What to expect when you contact us
What happens after your first call or message, step by step.
Every treatment story here begins the same way: someone picks up a phone or writes an email. What happens after that is less mysterious than most people fear, so this page walks through it step by step. We don’t promise a timeline, because a reliable one depends on assessment and response; what we can tell you is that nothing waits for its own sake — assessment is arranged at the appropriate centre, usually promptly, and your plan follows directly from it.
Step one: you reach out
Call +256 770 700944, email info@safeplacesuganda.com, or use the private message form on this site. You can be brief. “I think I need help with drinking” or “I’m worried about my sister” is a perfectly good opening; the person you reach will ask what they need to know and nothing more. This first conversation is for information. You will not be asked to commit to anything.
Step two: assessment
If you decide to go further, the next step is an assessment with one of our professionals, usually at the Kyambogo centre. It covers your history, physical and mental health, current concerns, and what daily life looks like at the moment. Bring any medical records or a list of current medications if you have them; they help, though their absence stops nothing.
The assessment exists because symptoms alone don’t determine the right care. Two people with the same complaint can need very different things, and this is where that difference gets seen.
Step three: a recommendation and a plan
The assessing professional recommends a form of care: out-patient appointments, residential admission at Bujjuko, or another of our services, and explains the reasoning. Then a treatment plan is developed with you and explained in language you understand. You will know what the plan involves, who on the team is part of it, and roughly how long the first phase is expected to run, always with the caveat that plans are reviewed against how you actually respond. Residential stays commonly run from about two weeks up to 180 days, depending on individual assessment.
Costs and payment options are discussed at this stage at the latest, and earlier if you ask. As a guide, a psychiatric consultation is UGX 100,000, a psychotherapy session UGX 80,000, and in-patient daily rates run UGX 100,000–150,000 — all confirmed with you at first contact; rates can change. Ask anything else too; a plan you don’t understand is not finished.
Where someone else is paying, we record a billing contact for invoices, receipts and payment status. Paying for care does not give access to private clinical or session details.
Step four: treatment begins, and support continues after it
Where treatment happens depends on the plan: appointments at Kyambogo, or admission at Bujjuko for residential care. Visiting and family contact during residential care follow a set structure, explained in our guide to preparing for residential admission. Family or next of kin are ordinarily part of care planning, and we keep them in touch with general progress and practical arrangements; the intimate detail of assessment and therapy stays within the care team. And when the initial treatment ends, the support doesn’t. Follow-up appointments, groups, and aftercare contact are part of how we work, not extras.
If you are arranging care for someone else
Families often make the first call, and that is welcome. We can talk with you about the situation, about how to raise the subject with your person, and about support for you in the meantime. A family member can also support the assessment process itself; what does not change is that the person is assessed directly before any admission decision is made. Many admissions are voluntary and based on the person’s informed consent. However, Uganda’s Mental Health Act, Cap. 308 also provides for assisted, emergency, and involuntary admission in safeguarded circumstances, each route with its own conditions and safeguards under the Act. A family’s request cannot create that pathway on its own; it rests on clinical assessment under the Act’s safeguards, and whether it applies is a question for the clinical team, not a webpage. Where the lawful route is one Safe Places does not operate, the team will direct you to the appropriate authorised service.
Practical notes
Appointments are typically one hour. You can call at any hour, any day — the phone is answered around the clock. Kyambogo appointments run Monday to Saturday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm, public holidays included. The Bujjuko residential centre is open every day of the year and admits patients at any hour, once assessment points to residential care. If you are coming from outside Uganda, airport pick-up can be arranged. Inland transport is available at a cost. If attending in person is difficult, telephone-based support may be an option to discuss when you call.
Ready when you are: +256 770 700944.
Our insurance partners
Cover is confirmed with your insurer, case by case.
Talk to someone who understands
You can call at any hour. A conversation is information, not commitment.