Ububele

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UBUBELE MISSION STATEMENT

UBUBELE, The African Psychotherapy Resource Centre has identified a serious shortage of and a need for skilled, professional and lay mental health workers in an under-resourced Southern African region still reeling from apartheid and the colonial era, coping with transformation, facing high levels of crime, violence and abuse, the disintegration of family life, an HIV/AIDS pandemic and under resourced socio-economic and educational facilities. In addition there are also global mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and interpersonal relationships difficulties that are rife in our region.
UBUBELE also has noted that there is a specific and drastic shortage of mental health workers who can communicate with their clients and patients in the vernacular. UBUBELE seeks to respond to this situation. UBUBELE's broad philosophy is that every activity and project it undertakes will have to meet and adhere to three basic principles. It has a teaching hospital as its structural model, hence our maxim: 'Training through Service & Service through Training.'

1.Training - UBUBELE aims to train mental health workers at professional and lay levels as well as mental health NGO's and personnel within hospitals and primary health clinics. There is a special emphasis on training previously disadvantaged groups and vernacular proficient individuals. Wherever possible we will seek to 'Train the Trainers' in order to maximize resources, building capacity and thereby reaching as wide a population as possible. The whole of Southern Africa will be the eventual training catchment area.
2. Clinical Services - Every project and training will be undertaken within a context of a community clinical service. This will ensure both a service and an experiential, hands on component to training. Our particular service catchment area will be Alexandra Township in Johannesburg.
3.Research - Mental health research in Southern Africa is far from adequate. UBUBELE aims to have a research component to every activity. Finding and identifying specific Southern African factors will help in formulating appropriate responses and interventions. These can then be compared and correlated to global research.

UBUBELE Resource Centre is situated on the border of Alexandra township which is estimated to have well over half a million inhabitants. The use of a fully refurbished 2000 sq. meter double story building, which is easily accessible by foot, bus and taxi, has been donated. A full refurbishment project has been completed in February 2001. The centre is equipped with audio and visual aids and other excellent facilities and offers itself as an African Resource Centre of Knowledge and Practice of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy to governmental & non-governmental agencies, universities, professional associations, support groups and others working in the mental health field with whom it enters into collaborative, coordinated and cooperative partnerships.