Guebwiller. The Adolescent Listening Center: Help for young people suffering from distress

Inaugurated this Wednesday, April 30, the Guebwiller branch of the Maison des adolescents du Haut-Rhin (MDA 68) completes the network of this service created in 2009 in Mulhouse, before spreading to Colmar in 2011 and Altkirch in 2019 .

"Around a hundred teenagers from the Guebwiller area were already coming to Mulhouse or Colmar," says Emmanuelle Zemb, the director of MDA68, who applauds the local political will that made the branch possible. It is currently located on the second floor of the medical center at 125 rue Deck - the former Covid vaccination center - in premises made available by the City of Guebwiller, while awaiting the Maison des solidarités, which is due to open by 2028 in the former tax office.

Open on Wednesdays, by appointment only, the Guebwiller branch aims to be a place of welcome, listening, and guidance for all questions related to adolescent distress : anxiety, dark thoughts, relationship or family difficulties, heartbreak, addictions, mourning, school problems such as bullying, etc. It is aimed at young people from the sixth grade (12 years old) to 25 years old, but also at their parents, and more generally at professionals and volunteers in contact with teenagers: teachers, doctors, sports instructors, etc.

The strength of the Guebwiller MDA? A multidisciplinary team composed of Colomba Durr, the branch's coordinating psychologist, Mylène Fega, a social worker, and Pauline Mailhou, a nurse specializing in addictions. A psychiatrist, Marc-Antoine Crocq, will also be present two afternoons a month "to provide secondary care," as will a psychologist, every Wednesday morning starting this summer.

"We intervene more in prevention, we are a bit like the first step in terms of mental health, upstream of the medical-psychological centers (CMP)," explains Colomba Durr, psychologist and coordinator of the branch.

Knowing that, since Covid, mental health needs have been on the rise, particularly among young people: "Requests are expressed more easily and they are taken more seriously," comments Yannick Claude, development manager at MDA68.

The MDA's goal is "to provide a rapid response to prevent situations from escalating," explains Emmanuelle Zemb. This allows for an appointment to be made "within a month," whereas wait times are often longer in psychiatric units or CMPs.

This first appointment aims to assess the situation, listen to the adolescent and their family, and then set up support or refer them to other services. "Very often, the first appointment is at the request of the parents, and the young people are hesitant to come, but then they agree."

The service is not designed to handle emergencies, and follow-up is limited in time, for a maximum of six months, with one appointment per month or approximately every three weeks. "Sometimes things will improve after a few appointments. If more in-depth follow-up is needed, we refer to other services, such as the CMP, but always in agreement with the adolescent," explains the director.

Teenagers can come alone, as the consultations are confidential. "Obviously, we'll try to involve parents, but parents can also come alone when they have a question that's bothering them. It can also be helpful to come, if only to reassure themselves."

Adolescent House, 125 rue Deck in Guebwiller (on the ^2nd floor). By appointment on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contact by phone 03 89 32 01 15 or email [email protected] Website maisondesados68.alsace.eu