What does this mean? 

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What is healing centered? 

A healing-centered approach is a holistic model centering on culture, spirituality, civic action, and collective healing. A healing-centered approach views trauma not simply as an individual isolated experience, but rather highlights the ways in which trauma and healing are experienced collectively. It highlights the importance of the strengths of individuals rather than their deficits. It also emphasizes the importance of  providers of services, engaging  in their own healing work; as a parallel process. The term healing-centered engagement expands how we think about responses to  trauma work and offers a more holistic approach to fostering well-being. 

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What is Trauma Focused? 

Trauma-Focused is a specific approach to therapy that recognizes and emphasizes understanding how the  traumatic experience impacts a person’s mental, behavioral, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. This  type of therapy is rooted in understanding the connection between the trauma experience and the person’s emotional and behavioral responses. 

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African centered psychology recognizes:  

The notion that everything in the universe is interconnected; the value that the individual is not more important than the experience of a collective; but just as important and how one's personal experience can impact others. This concept focuses on the idea that each person is unique and their unique experience is intricate on the impact of their behavior, thoughts, beliefs and actions on self and others around them. This awareness of communal self-knowledge is the key to mental health.  African psychology is ultimately concerned with understanding the systems of meaning in human Being-ness [not just Humans doing], the features of human functioning, and the restoration of normal/natural order to human development. As such,  it is used to resolve personal and social problems and to promote optimal functioning. "Culture-Based” Treatment Starts with the recognition that culture is highly relevant to people’s everyday behavior. Their values, shared historical context, experience, and language all affect how they perceive things, how they feel, and what matters to them most. It is implied in our work as professional to examine self world views, positionality, and how the way we show up in the world can impact how we help and serve others. It is also integrated in our healing model, helping others to understand how they show up can impact and shape their own experiences as well.