Abklärungs- und Aufnahmezentrum AAZ

The Abklärungs‑ und Aufnahmezentrum (AAZ) is the assessment and intake unit of the Psychiatric Services of Thurgau, Switzerland. It provides adult patients in the canton with personalized psychiatric evaluation, counseling, and treatment options. The centre can be contacted by phone or e‑mail and operates throughout the year, ensuring continuous access to mental‑health services. AAZ offers an integrated psychiatric‑psychotherapeutic approach with a particular emphasis on social psychiatry. Its core competencies include psychosomatic treatment, consultative and liaison psychiatry, and close networking with hospitals, clinics, institutions, and public authorities. These collaborations enable comprehensive care that bridges outpatient and inpatient services. For adults aged 18 and older, the centre delivers a wide range of services: psychiatric assessments, outpatient integrated treatment with crisis intervention, individual, couple/family and group psychotherapy, long‑term social‑psychiatric care, outpatient addiction treatment, nursing assessments and home visits, as well as social‑work support for interactions with employers, authorities, and institutions. Additional specialised offerings comprise psycho‑oncology, psychocardiology, expert reports, pregnancy counselling, and family work. AAZ also provides culturally specific services such as a Turkish‑language consultation and group programmes focusing on social competence and movement‑based awareness. Treatment costs are covered by the basic health insurance, and the unit is overseen by Dr. med. Thorsten Schaffer and Deputy Director Dr. Beat Heuberger, who ensure the quality and continuity of care.