Our services
Out-patient, residential, and community services for mental health and addiction.
The right kind of care depends on the condition, its severity, and your circumstances. That is why everything at Safe Places begins with an assessment rather than a sales conversation. This page maps what we offer; the assessment helps determine which services suit your needs.
Consultations, assessment, and diagnosis
The starting point. You meet a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, or social worker, in person at Kyambogo — a first assessment is best done face to face — and later sessions can continue by telephone or online where that suits your situation. Assessment covers your history, physical and mental health, current concerns, and daily life. Where a diagnosis is needed, it comes from this process, with particular attention to conditions that occur together, such as depression alongside alcohol use. We also carry out mental, neurological, and psychological assessments for specific purposes, and drug and substance screening using standardised tools.
Out-patient care
For conditions that can be managed while you live at home. You attend scheduled appointments for therapy, counselling, psychiatric review, or a combination, and carry on with work, study, and family life in between. Out-patient care runs at different intensities — standard, intensive, and day-programme — with the plan customised through assessment. It suits mild-to-moderate conditions, and it is also how many people step down from residential treatment rather than leaving it abruptly.
Residential (in-patient) care
At the Bujjuko centre. Residential care is advised when someone needs closer monitoring, stabilisation, or distance from an environment that keeps the illness going. Clients live at the centre with a structured daily routine, therapy, medical oversight, nutritious meals, and staff present around the clock. Stays commonly run from about two weeks up to 180 days, depending on individual assessment.
Medical detoxification
Medically supervised withdrawal from alcohol or other substances, carried out in the residential centre. Detox is a medical process, and its length varies with the substance, the pattern of use, and the person’s health. Details are on the medical detox page.
Psychiatric care
Assessment, treatment, and where advised by the psychiatrist, admission — short- or longer-term. Medication may be prescribed and reviewed by the psychiatric team where clinically needed, alongside psychotherapy.
Therapies
Individual and group therapy; couple and family therapy; counselling for grief, marriage, career, infertility, HIV/AIDS-related concerns, substance use, and trauma; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); trauma-, violence- and abuse-focused therapy; expressive art therapy; occupational therapy; psycho-education; and recovery, life, skills, and career coaching.
Programmes and ongoing support
Structured programmes sit on top of these services: addiction rehabilitation (90–180 days, residential), a 12-step-integrated treatment programme, aftercare and relapse prevention, family support, peer support groups, psycho-education and training, an Employee Assistance Programme for organisations, and school and community mental health work. Each has its own page.
Practical support
Airport pick-up can be arranged for clients coming from outside Uganda, and inland transport at a cost. Where circumstances such as other health conditions make attending a facility unworkable, home-assisted care may be an option after assessment; it has its own page, and mobility costs apply. Where distance is the obstacle, telephone and online support can carry part of the work.
Not sure which of these you need? That is normal, and it is what the first conversation is for. Call +256 770 700944 and describe the situation; we will tell you honestly what fits.
Talk to someone who understands
You can call at any hour. A conversation is information, not commitment.