My fellowship research has provided me with the language to more accurately describe the magic that I relish to witness when facilitating community based mind-body interventions. My findings have substantiated my long held belief that pursuing multi-dimensional wellness for those experiencing social injustice most acutely has profound implications, beyond healthcare, beyond the lone individual.
The impact made by Fundación Dunna and Southcentral Foundation demonstrates that collective healing is possible through community collaboration and integrative services that are rooted in social justice. Their innovative methods illustrate that empathy, embodiment, and story sharing are fundamental pillars of psychosocial well-being.
In Colombia, Dunna’s protocol combines mindfulness, movement and sharing circles, a unique blend of somatic and restorative practices that facilitate participants’ reconnection to their body and safety in giving voice to their experience of life. The embodiment and sharing happening in Riohacha and Cali is enabling otherwise marginalised women to cultivate a newly trusting relationships with themselves, their families and the wider community, therefore dissipating the impact of potential cyclical trauma in their communities.
In Anchorage, Southcentral Foundation embeds non-clinical, community based psychosocial interventions within their primary care offering. Their use of open dialogue, active listening and cultural grounding in these spaces helps the Alaska Native population process distress, preserve culture, cultivate resilience and bring an end to generational cycles of harm.
Both models are rooted in the belief that pursuing psychosocial wellness for those most acutely affected by social injustice fosters a ripple of positive impact on the overall health of the wider community. If we are seeking systemic change and prevention that bears a marked return on investment, fiscally and socially, we must design care models that recognise the sociopolitical roots of pain, just as they do at Fundacion Dunna and Southcentral Foundation.
It's clear that integrative mind-body and peer support approaches can transform people, families and systems when grounded in social justice and collective care. The restorative power of person centred services like those that I studied during my fellowship travels should be harnessed by the UK's leaders in health and social care and by policy makers that seek to address the social determinants of health.
The bold examples set for me in Colombia and the US will continue to influence my vision as a practitioner, service designer and social founder as I breakthrough into the next chapter of my career. My work, cultivating reparative wellness for people, communities and whole systems, will, for a long time to come, be informed by my fellowship learnings.
The context within which I work toward my ambitious goal to improve psychosocial wellness among the UK communities most affected by inequality is a challenging and uncompromising one, politically and economically. Success will be reliant upon collaboration and connection between public and civil society bodies, fresh thinking among progressive policy makers and a philanthropic landscape that recognises the value of entrepreneurship and innovation.
The following recommendations are grounded in this understanding, offering practical ways for stakeholders to nurture an environment where new, community-focused models addressing collective trauma and mental health inequity can take root and grow.
On sustainability.
Grant-giving bodies
Explore the potential of providing core, flexible funding for nonprofits delivering bespoke psychosocial services driven by data that demonstrates real community needs and voices.
Examine the possibility of aligning this funding with community-centric outcomes, extending beyond clinical indicators alone.
On accessibility.
Health and social care policy writers.
Help communities and service users affected by inequality actively contribute to creating policies and services that address mental health support. This ensures that these policies and services are relevant and truly meet the needs of the people.
Break down health, education, and social service silos. Use community consultation across different sectors to better connect and coordinate for prevention and efficiency.
On inclusivity.
Mental health care providers.
Consider the development of intersectional quality care standards that mandate cultural competence, power sensitivity, and community integration in mental health and psychosocial programming, especially for marginalised groups.
Self-determination and inclusivity are powerful tools of empowerment, fostering individual agency and community resilience.
On investment.
Social investors.
Support social founders to sustain non-clinical, community based group interventions that use restorative practices and community development to address collective trauma, loneliness and mental health stigma.
The impact is profound and ripples way beyond grassroots.
On integration.
Statutory funding bodies.
Build the health service's capacity to go beyond treating symptoms and to address social determinants of communities most affected by inequality by embedding culturally grounded psychosocial care models into their primary care offering.
The return on investment and prevention potential is vast
Having taken some time to reflect on the impact Supply has made and to acknowledge the new context in which it is required to survive, I am ready to harness my fellowship learnings and reimagine a new model for sustainable therapeutic support that flexes with and for the community.
My vision for psychosocial wellness throughout the UK draws upon the successes of my allies in the US and Colombia while also considering the many economic and social changes that have taken place in the UK since I established my social enterprise in 2016. I am prepared to emerge purposefully from this period of reflection, to breakthrough with courage and energy to realise some of the ideas that percolated during this fellowship.
I hope the connections forged as a result of sharing my learnings here will form the beginnings of a web of support that will drive the success of a new social innovation model that weaves embodiment, human connection and advocacy for communities affected by social injustice around the UK.
I trust that my findings will motivate funders, policy makers and potential partner organisations to engage with my evolving expertise in this area - please reach out to me to discuss how we can work together to transform psychosocial health for your community.