Healing in the Circle
of Life

An African-centred wellbeing and psychology gathering in Dominica, held over four days of ceremony, scholarship and communal practice.

Dominica · April 13–16, 2027

Conference Registration

For Presenters

Bring your research, practice and lived insight into a gathering where indigenous knowledge and clinical practice meet as equals.

Speakers, facilitators and paper presenters are invited to contribute to a programme shaped by dialogue, community practice and reflection across all four days.

Call for Papers
Download Presenter Information PDF

Why attend?

This is more than a conference.

Healing in the Circle of Life brings together African-centred psychology, scholarship, ceremony and communal practice in a shared four-day experience. Across Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth, we explore wellbeing through African worldviews, lived experience, research and collective practice.

Most gatherings ask you to choose. The clinical room or the ceremony. The paper or the practice. We are not asking you to choose. Here, indigenous knowledge and clinical practice meet as equals. A peer-reviewed paper at midday, a drumming circle in the evening, each one informing the other.

Come to learn, to contribute, to connect, and to consider together how we build healthier individuals, families and communities.

Why Dominica?

Dominica offers more than a setting.

Known as the Nature Isle of the Caribbean, its landscape, culture and community make a meaningful place in which to explore healing and our connections with one another. There are 365 rivers here. Rainforest never cleared. The Kalinago people remain on their territory, holding knowledge that was never written down and never lost.

We could have held this conversation in a ballroom anywhere. We chose here because the island does some of the teaching.

The conference extends beyond the meeting room. Delegates meet the island through culture, nature and community — the Kalinago Territory immersion is part of the programme, not an excursion, coordinated with local partners and fairly compensated.

Discover Dominica

What to Expect

  • A four-day gathering where African-centred healing, community wisdom and psychological inquiry sit side by side.

  • Each day includes a keynote, parallel breakout sessions, a community panel, a featured afternoon address and a closing circle.

  • Breaks, lunch and poster viewing are woven into the day, creating room for conversation, exchange and reflection.

  • The programme extends beyond the room through cultural, therapeutic and nature-based afternoon activities rooted in the landscape of

Itinerary

  • Ancestral Beginnings and New Dawn, with a keynote on reclaiming African worldviews in healing, breakout sessions, a panel on ancestral wisdom and modern psychology, and an afternoon cultural dance, movement session and community reception.

  • Growth, healing in community and sustenance, with a keynote on community wellness across the African diaspora, breakout sessions, a panel on living traditions, and an afternoon cultural immersion or nature walk.

  • Transitions, trauma and healing through loss, with a keynote on trauma, climate change and community resilience, breakout sessions, a panel on intergenerational trauma, and an afternoon therapeutic art session and memory walk.

  • Renewal, resilience and moving forward, with a keynote on building sustainable healing communities, breakout sessions, a panel on action, advocacy and legacy, and a closing ceremony with community celebration.

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and contact us.

Your Questions, Answered

Contact Us

  • This gathering is designed for:

    • Academic researchers and postgraduate students (at all career stages)

    • Clinicians, therapists, counsellors, social workers, and mental health practitioners

    • Community leaders, grassroots organisers, and public health professionals

    • Indigenous healers, knowledge keepers, and cultural custodians

    • Cultural practitioners, artists, musicians, storytellers, and griots

    • Policy makers, advocates, and NGO / third-sector workers

    And diaspora communities working across practice, research and community care.

  • Yes. Not all attendees have to present, they can register and take part in the conference.

  • Yes. The programme structure includes keynote talks, paper sessions, workshops, panels and poster presentations.

  • Yes. This page allows speakers to submit through the call for papers and then proceed to ticket payment.

  • Morning break, mid-morning break, lunch and afternoon break are provided each day.

    For the full breakdown click here.

  • Breakfast is included in the hotel catering package for the conference.

  • Yes. We aren’t doing hybrid anyone.

  • The road is long. We know that crossing oceans to join this circle requires resources, and the weight of travel should not keep a necessary voice from the fire. For delegates seeking financial assistance to offset the costs of registration and transit, there are external pathways designed to support academic and community mobility.

    You may begin your search for funding through these external guides:

Come into the circle.

Join us in Dominica for four days of study, reflection and communal healing.

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Call for Papers