Phola International LTD provides training on homegrown Methodologies developed by Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo. She provides training on the following: The Tree of Life, COURRAGE, Narrative in the Suitcase, and O.U.T.T.R.A.G.E.D Methodologies. Supervision is offered to support individuals who partake in the training.
Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo PHOLA CEO
Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo is an internationally renowned narrative therapist and psychosocial specialist, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Degree in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe, and a master’s degree in Narrative Therapy & Community Work and from the University of Melbourne. Ncazelo has spent much of her career years focusing on developing local, culturally appropriate psychosocial healing practices and methodologies.
Ncazelo’s training work has been acknowledged by institutions such as the British Psychological Association (BPA), Tavistock, The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN) in the UK, Annually she trains undergraduate and postgraduate university students internationally and has worked with some of the following institutions:
Ncazelo has also been part of several supervision teams for several master’s and Ph.D. students who have conducted research on her methodologies. She is part of the faculties/teaching teams for Dulwich Centre (Australia) and the Narrative Therapy Initiative (NTI) in the USA. Ncazelo has been invited to be a keynote speaker at several international conferences including the Global Mental Health and Psychosocial Conference in the UK in 2018, the Community Psychology Conference (UK) 2019, the National Tree of Life Conference 2017 (UK), Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference in Rwanda, 2022.
Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo is an internationally renowned narrative therapist and psychosocial specialist, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Degree in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe, and a master’s degree in Narrative Therapy & Community Work and from the University of Melbourne. Ncazelo has spent much of her career years focusing on developing local, culturally appropriate psychosocial healing practices and methodologies.
Ncazelo’s training work has been acknowledged by institutions such as the British Psychological Association (BPA), Tavistock, The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN) in the UK, Annually she trains undergraduate and postgraduate university students internationally and has worked with some of the following institutions:
Ncazelo has also been part of several supervision teams for several master’s and Ph.D. students who have conducted research on her methodologies. She is part of the faculties/teaching teams for Dulwich Centre (Australia) and the Narrative Therapy Initiative (NTI) in the USA. Ncazelo has been invited to be a keynote speaker at several international conferences including the Global Mental Health and Psychosocial Conference in the UK in 2018, the Community Psychology Conference (UK) 2019, the National Tree of Life Conference 2017 (UK), Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference in Rwanda, 2022.
Tree of Life is a storytelling approach to counselling that was developed by Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo in collaboration with David Denborough to support children affected by HIV and AIDS. The methodology is now used in mental health and psychosocial services in different parts of the world.
It helps people to talk about the stories of their lives in ways that make them stronger. It focuses on the good and positive stories of people’s lives which are encouraging and hopeful even in the face of adversity. Tree of Life is used in several countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, South Africa, Russia and many others.
This is a 4-day training for people who prefer to complete the Advanced Tree of life training once off.
The COURRAGE methodology is a narrative therapy intervention which aims to provide women (and others) experiencing complex trauma and psycho-social distress linked to various forms of violence and hardships with opportunities to re-imagine their place in the world. Over 10-sessions, women engage in a collective process of being supported to step into the alternative stories of their lives. Through sharing stories women discuss their struggles and identify their skills and knowledges of living that have helped them to survive; they reimagine their futures and begin to plan ways to respond to their challenges. Each letter in the acronym COURRAGE represents a specific step in the structured group therapy intervention. The COURRAGE methodology has recently been found to reduce clinical symptoms of depression in women and allowing them to draw from each other’s strengths, social networks and build positive identity and even act collectively to address shared challenges.
The Narratives in the Suitcase Project was developed to respond to the challenges experienced by children “on the move”. Some of these children travel unaccompanied from different countries into South Africa and other places. Many of them end up on the streets. In South Africa several children move from rural areas into the cities seeking a better life for themselves and their families. At face value these journeys may be taken to be only about economic issues however there are many untold stories about these movements. The hidden or secret stories unveil what these young people are pursuit of. If societies have a better understanding about the secret aspirations of young people on the move perhaps there would be improved services and support for them.
The suitcase project explores what children’s movements are about. It allows people on the move to describe their journeys in ways that are more fitting for them. It takes a lot of courage for children to leave their homes, families, familiar territories and or countries of origin. These bold initiatives could only mean that children who are “on the move” are pursuing what is significantly valuable and important to them. Stories about what pushes children to leave their homes, live on the streets, migrate to far away countries etc. are thinly described. They are largely told from the point of view of others and usually in problem saturated dominant story lines tainted with a lot of negativity.
Mental health and psychosocial practitioners including:
O.U.T.T.R.A.G.E.D is a collective narrative therapy framework that facilitates conversations with men and boys for the Prevention of violence and Gender Based Violence (GBV) more specifically. This is a framework for awareness raising, concept development, behaviour change, and the development of personal agency among men and boys to support them to live preferred lives that counter identities dominated by anger and violence. The framework also supports men and boys to become community champions and agents of social justice in the prevention of GBV.
COST: £50
