It’s our Hope
Our vision is that there can be greater access and quality of mental health services provided to the population in Mwanza and Tanzania at large
More About Us
‘Dochas’ means ‘Hope’ in Irish. Dochas was set up in 2021 by Catherine and Naomi who have worked together for many years in the NGO sector in Mwanza. Through their work they both saw that there is a real gap in mental health services being provided in Mwanza especially in the form of counselling and psychotherapy. They have a vision that mental health services can become available to the population in Mwanza and at large in Tanzania through direct provision, training, capacity building and supporting networks and training institutes and universities to ensure improvements and strengthening of the mental health profession within the country.
Our Objectives
To provide quality counselling services to children, youth and adults who request these services through a private practice
To provide counselling services to students in schools on request
To provide short term counselling and well-being conferences to staff at workplaces on request
To make every effort to meet the clients’ expectations being flexible to adapt to requests and being culturally sensitive
To provide service providers with the opportunity for personal therapy to ensure good levels of self-care to promote personal and career development
To partner where possible with counselling and psychotherapy networks with the aim to strengthen the networks and to promote the profession within the country
To provide quality training in counselling and psychotherapy to service providers of counselling and psychotherapy that is adapted to the cultural context
Our Services
Individual Counselling
Counselling is available in English by Naomi either face to face at our office in Ryan’s Bay Hotel based in Mwanza town, or it is also available online. Individual therapy is available to children, teenagers, and adults. Sessions are usually carried out once a week for a one-hour period. Sessions can however be adapted as per request. We use an integrative approach to counselling, bringing together different elements of specific therapies. We believe that counselling is best adapted to individual needs and personal circumstances.
Services for Workplaces
Short term counselling or brief therapy sessions can be offered to all employees in a workplace struggling with workplace-related stress or personal issues that can be affecting work performance of productivity levels Mediation or conflict resolution support can be provided within the workplace Workplace mental health and well-being conferences can be offered within workplace settings in both English and Swahili
Services for Schools
Individual counselling sessions in English can be provided to students referred by teachers or by themselves, regarding educational, social and emotional challenges or worries. Identified student groups can be provided with group life skills sessions and restorative circles to deal with challenges, worries or conflicts the students are experiencing. Assistance and training can be provided to teachers and parents in their understanding of child and adolescent development, as well as parenting skills and discipline
Training for service providers
Specialised training related to counselling and psychotherapy can be provided in English and Swahili to service providers possibly in NGOs or other related fields. It can be tailored depending on the level and need of the service providers who support individuals, families or communities exposed to or experiencing psychosocial / psychological challenges. Supervision services can be provided for service providers during their placement / field hours so they can increase their counselling skills, ensure reflective practice in their work, address challenges they face in the field and promote personal and professional development. Personal therapy can be available to service providers to ensure good levels of self-care to promote personal and career development
Our Experience
Naomi Power is from Ireland. She has lived in Tanzania for over 10 years; For 8 years she worked in the NGO sector with an organisation that focused on providing counselling and psycho-social support. She was awarded a master’s in counselling and psychotherapy from the Irish College of Humanities and Science in September 2022. As part of her Master’s degree, she carried out a placement at Isamilo International School in Mwanza, offering counselling to the secondary school students. She continued to provide these services to the school on completing her placement. She has now provided nearly 2 years of counselling services at the school, and she expanded her services to also include counselling to primary aged students as well
Catherine K. Mongella is a Tanzanian author, leader, and visionary in the NGO sector with over 10 years of experience in organizational development, capacity building, and solution-focused approaches. She is the current Executive Director of Earth Guardians, an organization based in Colorado, whose mission is to train and inspire youth leaders through the power of art, music, storytelling, civic engagement, and legal action. Catherine works to inspire and support impactful solutions to the critical issues we face as a global community. She is the first African woman under 40 to lead the organization and is dedicated to expanding the organization’s impact in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Get a Consultation:
For counselling services provided either online or one to one sessions carried at the office based at Ryan’s Bay Hotel, Capri Point, Mwanza, The general fee: 50,000tsh per one hour session. *Please do contact however if you cannot afford this, as possible sliding scale reduced rates may apply for students and also for special circumstances *It is also possible to pay in advance for a number of 10 sessions at a reduced rate of 400,000tsh, For services for workplaces and schools or for training, we can negotiate directly with you on rates as these are tailored services that will depend on the specific requests.