At Upili, we acknowledge the pivotal role of psychosocial support in alleviating past trauma and equipping Students with Disabilities to successfully navigate future discrimination.
We believe group counseling led by Counselors with Disabilities who foster a safe space through shared lived experiences will instill self-awareness and self-confidence in students with disabilities, enabling them to build trusting relationships with family, faculty, and friends, achieve academic potential, and lead meaningful and independent lives.
We supplement our group counseling with faculty/staff training to serve as Emotional First Responders, preparing peer counselors to support fellow students, and parent/caregiver disability awareness/de-stigmatization training.
Yet WHY, as a Team, do we choose to do the work we do?
Click the image above of Carla Birnberg, Terry Mwea, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of Next Step Foundation, and Terry’s daughter Sally to learn more about Carla’s WHY.
