Who we are

Care, therapy, rehabilitation, integration
The Grüner Kreis association has existed since 1983, supporting the rehabilitation and integration of people with addictions, and is the leading institution in Austria offering swift and professional help for people with dependency problems.

Our goal
Our goal is to make it possible for people with SUD to find a way to an independent, socially integrated and largely addiction-free life. Outpatient programmes, but above all short-term and long-term inpatient therapy as part of the concept of the therapeutic community, open a realistic chance for those affected to achieve this goal..

Professional
A multi-professional team from the fields of medicine, psychotherapy, clinical health psychology, social work, teaching, social pedagogy, sport, art and creativity and handicrafts facilitates the advice and care for addiction-endangered people and people with addictions from all over Austria.

We are here for you

Everybody with SUD will find help in the Grüner Kreis! Young people, adults, parents with children, couples or older people. The therapy/rehabilitation is for voluntary clients as well as for clients with a judicial order for therapy. We treat clients

with substance-related addictive behaviour (such as drugs, alcohol, medicaments etc.)
with non-substance-related addictive behaviour (such as pathological gambling, internet addiction etc.)
with a judicial order (§ 35 and§ 39 SMG, § 50/51 StGB, § 173 StPO, § 179 StVG)

Locations
6 outpatient care cantres and 8 inpatient institutions offer the appropriate therapy and care facilities for all forms of dependency-related illnesses.

History

For 40 years
The Grüner Kreis association was founded in 1983 on a concept of Prim. Dr. Günter Pernhaupt’s. “Treinthof”, the first inpatient social-welfare institution was opened in 1985 in the “Bucklige Welt” region of Austria. This was supported by the medical-science fund of the Vienna city council and under the project direction of the co-founder and manager Alfred Rohrhofer.

Convincing therapy and rehabilitation success
In the course of the years a four-pillar bio-psycho-social therapy model for short-term and long-term therapy for outpatients and inpatients was developed. Special concepts also developed out of this, for addicted parents with children, addicted young people, multi-morbid addicts und older addicts. The convincing therapy and rehabilitation success ultimately led to the foundation of further care centres in Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Carinthia, Styria and Vienna.

Mission statement

An organisation is only as good as its members. Long experience and professional competence make the association what it is today. 230 members of staff and numerous voluntary officials and assistants contribute to this. They ensure that the principles of the Grüner Kreis association are lived on a daily basis

The Grüner Kreis strives for a resource-oriented and performance-enhancing association culture that is intended to allow all members of staff to contribute their personal strengths and rise to challenges for the well-being of our clients.

The Grüner Kreis is independent of religion and politics.
Respect and mutual esteem and a humanistic world view and the appreciation of other people are the basis of our activity.
The client is the centre of our work. The focus is on support in order to achieve a largely addiction-free, independent life.
The Grüner Kreis offers high-quality, professional help for people with addictions at all phases of therapy, whether it is preventative, outpatient or inpatient.
The basic structures of the therapy concept are subject to evaluation in order to ensure quality control and checking of clear objectives
The therapy process can only take place in a harmonious environment. Responsible interaction with one another is our top priority.
Care and therapy by the Grüner Kreis demand non-violence.
The clients contribute independently to the success of their therapy in the form of consultation and joint decision-making. The specific requirements of the individual clients are taken account of flexibly as part of the therapy concept; this means, for example, the possible shifting of the time factor in the therapy phases as well as a smooth transition between outpatient, inpatient and repeated outpatient care therapy/rehabilitation.
Family members are also included in the therapy/rehabilitation in order to strengthen personal responsibility.
A nationwide outpatient care system oriented on the clients’ individual aspects makes it possible to increase the success rate of an independent, largely addiction-free life.
Prevention work in the sense of general public education on the problem of addiction, as well as concerning the involvement of the children of addicts in the therapy concept are an important part of the association’s tasks.
Cooperation and partnerships with other counselling centres and institutions and cooperation with the funding agencies and the Lower Austria AMS (Public Employment Service) increase the association’s efficiency and thereby contribute to the achievement of its objectives.
Networking, opening up, flexibilisation, and the extension of international work and research activity are focal points in the association’s work for the benefit of the clients.
Committed team work by the staff of the Grüner Kreis is part of the association’s culture and values as much as the all-round responsiveness, provision of information and development opportunities. The psychological health of the staff, regular supervision and further training are part of its values.
The Grüner Kreis recognises its responsibility and obligation to clients, members of staff, the environment and society.