Conexa

11/02/2025

Conexa Newsletter October 2025 -

After a long battle with leukemia in 2024 (and emerging victorious), I returned home to Northern California, where I grew up. This year has been about renewal: of health, of purpose, and of community. With the support of family, friends, and colleagues, the rebuilding is going well, and I’m deeply...

09/12/2025

At Conexa, We empower communities in healing from the inside out, equipping therapists, counselors, and local leaders to transform the way mental health care is provided.

Here's what we seek:
⬆️ Increases of: systemic health services in communities in need; community awareness and understanding of how to generate healthy relationships; community awareness of systemic trauma and issues that impede healthy development of human beings; BIPOC therapists and supervisors trained in effective models of healing.

⬇️ Decreases of: barriers to access for the community such as high costs, insurance regulation, lack of cultural integration, and location; barriers to therapists and community members seeking to provide services that include the high cost of access to education and training, supervision, and certification or licensure processes; the negative stigma of mental and relational health.

To support our mission, donate here: https://lnkd.in/dTdk4zaA
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08/22/2025

A round of applause for our EFT Trainers! 👏

Where do we begin in thanking our EFT Trainers for the unforgettable externship experience we’re still reeling from in Harare, Zimbabwe? Buckle up - this is going to be a long list of gratitude and happy faces!

We hosted 50+ mental health practitioners from across Southern Africa to our 4-day externship, led by EFT Trainer Elmien Lesch and her dedicated team of practitioners from South Africa. Alongside them, was our very own Conexa East Africa team, led by Dr. Ronald Asiimwe and Dr. Elizabeth Okello, who helped facilitate this important training on-ground.

In partnership with Conexa and ICEEFT, the Zimbabwe psychological Association, led by Dr. Julia Mutambara and her team, helped lay the groundwork for (meaning in Shona) - the first Conexa externship of its kind in Zimbabwe.

It's been over a week, and we are still buzzing with joy and awe at the peer-to-peer connections, deep learning, and EFT training we were able to bring to Zimbabwe: truly a wholesome experience!

We could go on and on, but for now, SWIPE ➡️ to relive the moments that made this externship utterly unforgettable and to celebrate our amazing EFT Trainers! 💫
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08/16/2025

"Being part of the Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) Externship in Zimbabwe was an excellent learning experience. It's interesting to learn how relationship drama plays across cultures. Over 70 professionals gathered to share and learn together. An applause to the great team at ZPA that made this happen!

This (externship) was done by Conexa International in partnership with ICEEFT - International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy and The Zimbabwe psychological Association (Z.P.A)."

Dr. Elizabeth Okello
Advisory Board Member
Conexa East Africa

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08/08/2025

2025 Smiling Faces!

The energy in Zimbabwe is still buzzing after an exciting and transformative 4-day externship with our brilliant team of local and internationally-trained EFT practitioners.

As we ride the high from our Summer 2025 experience in partnership with The Zimbabwe psychological Association (Z.P.A), we’re wrapping up a week filled with peer connections, deep learning, resource-sharing, joyful memories, and laughter - all of which we’ll be carrying home in our hearts!
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08/06/2025

What happens when 50+ clinicians, caregivers, and community leaders gather in Zimbabwe to reimagine healing? Deep shifts. New tools. And Brave vulnerability.

Here's a peek at Day 2 of : SWIPE ➡️to see how our EFT Trainers are anchoring the externship participants in attachment theory, tracking the couple cycle, and what it means to co-create healing in Southern African communities.
Cc Zimbabwe psychological Association

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08/05/2025

Externship in Zimbabwe is underway! Our leaders are arriving and getting ready to bring transformative EFT therapy to the community in Zimb!

08/01/2025

First Uganda then Kenya, Our quest for community-driven change is finally taking us to Zimbabwe! (swipe ->)

After months of planning, co-creating, and dreaming big, our 4-day Summer EFT Externship is finally happening next week, August 4–7. Huge gratitude to The Zimbabwe Psychological Association (Z.P.A), EFT Trainer Elmien Lesch, and the entire Conexa East Africa team for building this with us!

We can’t wait to welcome the 50+ clinicians and mental health practitioners joining us on this journey, each one committed to strengthening their work with couples and communities through the lens of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT).

And beyond the sessions? We can’t wait for the tea-break banter, spontaneous snaps, soul-stirring exchanges, and the kind of peer connection that makes our work so meaningful.

Here’s to growth, joy, and healing. Zimbabwe, we’re ready! 🇿🇼
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07/24/2025

Our Journey of Community Healing:
For the past two summers, we have successfully held two EFT Externships, in Uganda & Kenya. And as we gear up for our third externship in Zimbabwe, here's the timeline of our impact in .

> Summer 2023: Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Ronald Asiimwe and a global EFT team led the first-ever EFT training in East Africa. Over 100 participants joined, sparking a wave of relational healing and dialogue.

> Summer 2024: Nairobi, Kenya
Our cause deepened cross-cultural work with yet another team of international volunteers led by Dr. Asiimwe, Dr. Lesch, and Dr. Guillory, and expanded our network of locally trained practitioners.

> Summer 2025: Harare, Zimbabwe
We’re preparing to equip 100+ mental health professionals with tools to heal trauma and rebuild communities, led by our newly trained professionals currently building strong communities in Uganda and Kenya - alongside Dr. Elmien Lesch and her incredible team from Zimbabwe and South Africa.

To support our movement, Donate here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjI5OTQy

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07/17/2025

Help Restore relationships in our Communities!

Next month, Conexa will be helping to sponsor the first Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy Externship Training in Zimbabwe in partnership with Zimbabwe psychological Association.

Our project is focused on transforming entire communities through the work of mental and relational health, empowering people to heal trauma in their communities and build healthy relationships that eradicate intimate partner violence and child abuse.

We believe that partnering and collaborating with leaders in different cultural communities builds a bridge of peace where we can learn from each other, grow together, and help low income people.

Please donate here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjI5OTQy and help spread the word!
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07/15/2025

What’s all about?

In this reel, South African EFT Trainer - Elmien Lesch breaks down the heart of what we’re building in Zimbabwe 🇿🇼, a community of love and care rooted in relational healing.

Elmien will lead a team of therapists, leaders, and mentors from across the continent, to:
🔹 Equip local practitioners in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT)
🔹 Create peer spaces for support & shared learning
🔹 Build bridges between Southern Africa, East Africa & global peers

Elmien’s hope: That the EFCT externship in partnership with Zimbabwe psychological Association will help couples in distress in the Zimbabwean context and foster community healing.

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07/09/2025

"I'm proud to support our 2025 Conexa Work - this time in Zimbabwe. It's a powerful combination of bringing a model of therapy to clinicians in Zimbabwe while bringing together clinicians from past Conexa projects in Uganda and Kenya to support the training in Zimbabwe.

It's Full Circle: Helpers Helping Helpers and then Helping Community Members.

That's the Transformative Work!"

Sarah Kinder Cook
Executive Board Member
Conexa International
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