Wellness Empowered (W.E.) was founded in 2019 to challenge the individualistic approach of mainstream mental health, centering cultural humility, collective healing, systemic transformation, and Ubuntu-inspired communal care. We honor the legacy of our ancestors—ogogo, okhulu labokhokho (our grandparents and great-grandparents)—who instilled the values of Ubuntu.
After witnessing the harm caused by toxic workplaces and a lack of culturally affirming leadership and supervision, our founder, Shayla, pursued her RCSW designation to embody the leadership and supervision she longed to see. She also trained in workplace psychological health and safety to integrate psychological safety-focused clinical supervision. W.E. weaves a culturally equitable lens to foster inclusive, safer spaces for therapy recipients, therapists, and communities.
We say Wamukelekile and Sabona—Welcome and Hello in isiNdebele—and invite you to join us on a journey of healing, growth, and empowerment. Wellness Empowered is dedicated to helping individuals, clinicians, and communities heal and thrive together.
Unlearning, relearning, cohealing, and evolving—together.
We co-exist to destigmatize, depathologize, and decolonize mental health and well-being. We are committed to challenging harmful narratives and promoting healing practices and community programs that honor cultural identity, linguistic diversity, community, and systemic healing. Through our work, we aim to transform the understanding and practice of mental health and wellness, creating spaces of care that prioritize cultural safety, psychological health, and holistic well-being. We affirm the dignity and humanity of all people, especially those from racial equity-deserving and marginalized groups.
To foster healing, growth, and empowerment through equity-responsive, justice-focused, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and culturally affirming mental health services, training, supervision, and community initiatives. We prioritize People of African descent, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups, co-creating spaces that promote communal solidarity, equitable co-existence, and collective well-being.
To co-create a world where collective healing and liberation thrive through collaborative anti-oppressive, trauma-responsive, and community-centered approaches. We envision flourishing communities and workplaces where every individual, especially from marginalized groups, feels seen, heard, and empowered to live aligned with their values, purpose, and wholeness.
1. Decolonize mental health services by integrating culturally responsive, identity-affirming healing practices and settlement services that ensure psychological safety for all people, while fostering leadership in mental health advocacy.
2. Destigmatize and depathologize mental health, normalizing the importance of seeking support for well-being across all communities and encouraging mental health awareness and education.
3. Promote sustainable work-life balance to support the personal and occupational well-being of individuals and communities, while empowering individuals to lead lives that are aligned with their values, purpose, and wholeness.
4. Prevent burnout and foster community-centered self-care practices that build leadership capacity for collective resilience and well-being across diverse groups, while empowering individuals to take initiatives in their self-care practices.
5. Enhance psychological health and holistic well-being for individuals, communities, and workplaces, while promoting self-determination, collective wellness, and leadership in capacity-building initiatives.
6. Support balanced school, home, and quality social life for children, youth, adults, and families, fostering leadership development in healthy family dynamics and community engagement.
7. Encourage communal healing and cultivate healthy, loving, and safe interpersonal relationships that strengthen participation in allyship, communal care, and inclusivity.
8. Promote healthy communication, cultural pluralism, and safety where everyone feels valued and respected, while embracing newcomers, diverse cultural identities, and driving social change.
9. Advocate for justice, inclusion, equity, and respect for all people in their intersectional identities, developing leadership that fosters empowerment, advocacy, and systemic change.
10. Provide equitable, inclusive, and culturally affirming mentorship and clinical supervision, ensuring cultural safety, promoting culturally responsive practices, and supporting leadership development within communities and the therapeutic process.
We are a people-first and community-centered organization, guided by the belief that “it takes a village” to create healthy, safer communities. By collaborating with the individuals we serve and partnering with professionals and stakeholders, we promote collective and intergenerational healing.
We believe that celebrating all intersectional identities promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity, contributing to equal access to quality mental health and wellness services for all. This approach fosters solidarity and unity within our communities.
We embody compassion and kindness at every stage of our work, from the first phone call or email to the ongoing support and eventual conclusion of services. We approach each person with warmth and empathy, ensuring they feel respected and valued throughout their journey.
We are grounded in love and anchored in spirituality, which allows us to non- judgementally bear witness to sacred stories that create psychological safety with utmost respect, cultural humility, understanding and unconditional acceptance.
We believe in fostering an environment where mutual respect and reciprocity are central to every interaction. By honoring each person’s voice, perspective, and experiences, we create a space where collaboration and healing can thrive. We value the exchange of wisdom, ensuring that our relationships are built on trust, understanding, and a commitment to growth for all involved.
We uphold transparency, honesty, and truthfulness in all aspects of our practice, always prioritizing the best interests of those we serve. We adhere to the ethical standards and Codes of Conduct set by ACSW, OCSWSSW, and other affiliated regulatory bodies, fostering trust and accountability in our work.
We are avid seekers of knowledge and lifelong learners, grounded in the teachings of the many elders we have encountered along the way, as well as the wisdom shared by everyone we meet. Our journey of reciprocal unlearning, relearning, and continued learning is a lifelong process, constantly shifting and evolving. It is shaped by the collective knowledge of all Earth’s inhabitants, from whom we have had the privilege to learn. The people who teach us are the experts, including those we serve.
SHAYLA S. DUBE., MSW., RSW., RCSW-S
https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/704921
https://www.threads.net/@ubuntucentredpractice
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