NOVEMBER 28, 2025 MENTAL ILLNESS JULIA HERZOG Apropos Apropos is a street newspaper in Salzburg, Austria. Translated from German via Translators Without Borders. Courtesy of Apropos / INSP.ngo On a large table in the parish hall in Zell am See are eight plates, plus bright red and green cups. In the middle, there is a blue flask with hot water and a breadbasket of fresh pastries, butter, jam and a jar of Nutella. At the lovingly prepared table, peer workers Elke Hollaus and Hannes Motal wait every first and third Monday of the month for the participants of a conversation group for people with mental illness. The offer of conversation in the morning helps to give the day a structure. At breakfast together, people talk and feel that they are welcome. “The conversation groups are for people who suffer from a mental illness or are currently in a life crisis,” explained Motal, chair of the association. Around 15 people gather here in the parish hall in Zell am See twice per month. Hollaus looks after the group together with a colleague from Salzburg. The conversation groups are primarily about states of mind, about feelings. “I ask people what they have done this week, how they feel in everyday life, and sometimes I can also offer something from my experience.” Motal suffered a severe burn-out in 2018. At that time, he worked between 12 and 16 hours a day as a self-employed sound engineer at major events throughout Europe. “My last job was for Swarovski. When I got home, I fell over, and that was it. I was completely empty.” That was on New Year’s Eve. He was admitted to hospital for 10 days. “I couldn’t walk anymore and was shaking all over. I thought I would never be able to walk again. I used a walker for 10 days. At 56.” For some, his stories about the severe physical complaints that mental illness can trigger are difficult to imagine. “You have to imagine that you can no longer walk because your head no longer cooperates. That's the bad thing about it, that your head becomes your biggest enemy.” Reading a book or listening to music became an impossible effort for Motal, all external stimulus overwhelming. “I got panic attacks. It was all too loud, too much.” Hannes Motal is not going back to his former profession. During rehab in St. Veit, the Viennese native fell in love with Salzburg and stayed. What Motal did not suspect at the time was that his ordeal would later qualify him to support people experiencing similar mental crises face-to-face. This is because all Peer Center employees have experienced mental illness themselves. This makes the nine volunteers first-hand experts. “Before you lead a group, you take part in a conversation group six times. After that, you lead the group three times together with an assessor,” said Motal. The group leader moderates and creates a good atmosphere for conversation. During our conversation, seven people have gathered around the breakfast table in the Zell vicarage. Motal places a pack of cards on the table. “Mood Cards” is written on the packaging in bold letters. “Would someone like to draw a card and talk to us a bit?” A participant raises his hand and leafs through the deck. Each card depicts a face showing an emotion such as fear, joy or anger. After a short search, the man finds what he is looking for and places a card on the table in front of him. He begins to talk and shares with the group how he feels today. “The mood cards help to interpret one’s own feelings. You draw a card for the mood you are currently in. Then you choose a card with the mood you might prefer. It’s an aid for positive feelings,” Motal explained. While the participant speaks, the others also get involved and talk about themselves. A conversation quickly ensues — a togetherness in which experiences are shared and topics are discussed together. “Basically, the groups are always about the aggregate states of being human that everyone knows,” explained Motal. The peer colleague moderates the groups. Openness is the basis for work in the Peer Center. “Our task is to provide a listening ear. We throw questions into the circle that result in a conversation. People can take something away information.” It is important to the Peer Center to distinguish it from group therapy or psychotherapeutic help. “We don’t provide therapy; we listen and moderate the conversation,” Motal said. Peer colleagues are subject to the strictest duty of confidentiality. The atmosphere of the Peer Center in the city of Salzburg also brightens the mood. The group room is friendly; the walls are sunny yellow. They are spaces that hold you and enable a safe arrival. “Before people take part in a group for the first time, they sometimes come to us for a one-on-one conversation. They look at the rooms and ask questions.” Courtesy of Peer Centre Salzburg Those who turn to the Peer Center have often already had a long ordeal behind them. During the first contact, colleagues make them feel that they are meeting as equals, talking with someone who has also experienced illness and knows the suffering of a mental crisis. “In the city, the conversation groups with breakfast take place on Wednesdays and Fridays, and every Thursday there is a conversation group with creativity. Individual conversations are also possible by telephone arrangement,” says Motal. In addition to the conversation groups, the Peer Center also has space for activities — such as sharing coffee and biscuits for people who are alone at Christmas. Last year, for example, employees and participants took part in a winter hike and carriage ride in Lungötz, a guided tour of the Salzburg Festival Halls and a joint hike to the Zwölferhorn in St. Gilgen. “Seeing people having fun together, taking part in mindfulness exercises and creating new friendships, never ceases to amaze our team. The project days are something very special,” said Motal. The Peer Center is supported by the from this pool of state and city of Salzburg. The entire range of conversation groups via individual conversations and excursions can be used without registration, free of charge and anonymously. On request, a social worker also accompanies those affected to offices. Once per month, Motal travels to the Kardinal-Schwarzenberg-Klinikum to present the work of the Peer Center in Pongau as well. “It is important to me to make our work visible and to reach as many people as possible who could benefit from it,” he said. Networking and exchange also take place in the form of trialogues. These are open conversation circles for those affected by mental illnesses, relatives and experts from the psychiatric field. The trialogues in the province of Salzburg are coordinated by the AHA (Relatives Help Relatives) and take place regularly, covering different topics such as shame, loneliness or mourning. When Hannes Motal talks about the activities of the Peer Center, it becomes clear that in addition to providing support in everyday life, the association is also concerned with raising awareness of mental health. Seeking help is the biggest hurdle for many people facing mental crises. This is where the Peer Center wants to start, to help to remove taboos from topics related to mental illness. As far as society’s handling of mental illness is concerned, Motal would like to see more awareness. “My illness resulted in a whole host of problems. I couldn’t work anymore and had a hard time getting out of bed. And, of course, it would be nice if there was more understanding and support from the those around us.” For Motal himself, it was important to be as open as possible about his illness. “I would never have believed myself to be mentally ill. I always liked to work a lot until it wasn’t possible anymore.” Today, he stands by his experience of mental illness: “That was an important part of my recovery — admitting that I had an illness.” One story that Motal likes to tell in the conversation groups is about the small steps that he has taken on his personal path to recovery. After his 10-day hospital stay in 2018, he couldn’t leave his apartment for two months. His sense of being overwhelmed and his fear of the outside world were too great. Every day, he sat on his balcony and watched the birds in the garden. “In a bush there was a nest with small birds. One chick always hopped out, looked around and hopped back in. I watched for a week as it went a little further from its nest every day. One day, it finally flew off, and I thought to myself: I can do that too.” Motal left his apartment and sat down on the stairs in front of his house. “The first two days, I went straight back see PEER CENTER page 16 GROUNDCOVER NEWS My head, the enemy: Peer Center provides support 11
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