WHAT WE DO
WHAT WE DO
We Explore Attitudes
Mental health is integral to overall wellbeing, however beliefs and attitudes towards Mental illness often translate to it being less of a priority leading to limited help seeking and response. Individuals sometimes have feelings of shame, fear, and isolation due to attitude towards illness, which makes it hard for people struggling to seek help. Wellness Psychology Uganda aims to be part of the global movement to end stigma experienced by people with mental health challenges. We are participating by making psychoeducation easily accessible to people in all walks of life. We hope that exploring and clarifying attitudes and beliefs changes behavior and thus improves the outcomes of people with mental health challenges.
We Work with Young People for Young People
We believe that young people must be included in how we see and understand mental health. Children and adolescents are sometimes excluded from conversations about mental health including interventions for change and yet many youth face mental health problems. Initiatives that shift the focus towards youth perspectives and experiences can be more inclusive and creative. Our goal is to have innovative approaches to improve mental health therefore partnering with the youth is imperative.
Psychotherapy & Clinical Assessment
We offer therapy for common emotional, behavioral concerns and psychological conditions through Individual (adult, child & adolescent), couple, family, and group therapy. Our themes include but are not limited to personal growth, anxiety, depression, trauma, interpersonal conflict, anger management, addiction, grief/loss, career guidance and/or adjustment issues. We have practicing psychologists with the professional training and clinical skills to do clinical evaluations/assessments and help people learn to cope more effectively with life issues and mental health problems.
We can help with a range of health problems and use an assortment of evidence-based treatments to help people improve their lives. We will choose the type that best addresses the client’s problem and best fits their characteristics and preferences. We use a variety of techniques based on the best available research and consider someone’s unique values, characteristics, goals and circumstances.
Community Initiatives
We feel a responsibility to our community. We are committed to promoting a healthy community by extending psychological services through community initiatives. Our current project is The Wellness Project a child mental health awareness school program designed for secondary schools in Uganda.
Interactive Sessions
We initiate and facilitate activities that help raise awareness about mental health. This includes, talks, workshops, that focus on psycho-education and prevention. We aim to reach a wide range of people, including those who are interested in learning more about our services, those who may want to know more about how to help a friend and those who do not feel comfortable seeking therapy.
Mental Health Research
We are highly interested in carrying out or taking part in research that can inform Mental Health knowledge and Policy in the East African region.
Child Assessment For Educational Settings
We offer a range of psychological testing and evaluation services for children. These are in-depth assessments of a child’s ability, social-emotional functioning and achievement in order to improve academic skills to enhancing students’ academic success and overall well-being. It may include assessment of behavioral functioning, neurocognitive testing, intellectual/academic assessment with class observations and observations at home and interviews with care givers, teachers and child.
Consultancy Services
Consultancy services are provided on an individual, group or organizational basis to identify specific needs and link appropriate resources to meet the needs of groups, organizations or companies in the areas of learning, career, advisement or personal/emotional concerns. They may include but are not limited to; therapy services to suit specific needs, team work/group cohesion at the workplace, preparation for exit of staff, stress management, enhancing performance management and individualized support.
WHAT WE CARE ABOUT
Many people struggle with daily life challenges but not many are aware of the link between daily challenges and the potential to develop emotional ill health or a mental health challenge. We are passionate about improving mental health literacy and our hope is that as people learn more about mental health, they will be able to take better care of themselves and to relate to others with mental illnesses.
The current conundrum for countries like Africa is the belief that people don’t need mental health services and yet people with mental health challenges feel like services are expensive or unavailable. We are spirited about being a part of raising awareness about options for care.
We care about helping people gain a better understanding of themselves and their own goals and values. We believe that with this understanding, an individual is better able to build self-esteem, reduce anxiety and strengthen coping mechanisms thus gaining better control of their life and how it progresses.
Stigma and discrimination are still a big part of the conversation about mental health and it is occurring in a culture of silence. If people speak about their struggles, they are either silenced or minimised. We are entering different spaces and encouraging discussions about mental health where we approach questions and beliefs in a sensitive but exploratory manner.
People often have little insight about how their thoughts and behaviour affects their relationships and the potential self-fulfilling cycle that can develop when one’s coping mechanisms. Through therapy we enjoy watching individuals, families and groups begin to pay attention to their choices, the consequences and then work through positive change behaviour.
Helping individuals change is difficult in a system that inhibits growth. Therefore, we are passionate about context sensitive interventions that will allow individuals to thrive.