Good work for the good of us all.
Designing Collaborative Training for History Docents
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Civic narratives that are told and retold over generations give shape to a community’s sense of values, direction, and public kinship. As we approach the 250th anniversary of a rebellion whose legacy affirms this country’s commitment to liberty, equality, natural and civil rights, historical house museums have a unique opportunity to engage a new, more diverse exploration of the past. These local sites, with their emphasis on the people, places, and things, give visitors the opportunity to engage with history beyond written texts. Well-trained docents who can lead captivating tours, who can use inquiry and storytelling to inspire thoughtful introspection, and who can engage in inclusive living history practices, are essential to a community’s public history.For a countywide Cultural & Heritage Commission in central New Jersey, Ahali created a framework to recruit, train, and place volunteer docents at historic sites in time for America’s Semiquincentennial.
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Working with an advisory committee, Ahali developed a strategic framework outlining program outcomes, recruitment targets, training methods, and evaluation practices. Ahali also developed implementation tools for a program coordinator and site-based trainers, and a portfolio of multimedia resources to recruit, train, engage, and recognize program participants. The six-month training program draws upon the collective strengths and resources of partner sites to provide a cohort of volunteers with the foundational knowledge and skills they need before being placed at a historic site for a period of learning and service.
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From its intentional recruitment strategies to its inclusive and accessible training materials, Ahali’s solution helps the Cultural & Heritage Commission to cultivate a community of passionate docents who will carry the torch of local history forward, ensuring that the stories of their past have the potential to impact and inform future generations. The training program is one of only a handful of programs in the country and the first of its kind in New Jersey.
Supporting the Work-Life Journey of Remote Psychotherapists
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As the landscape of mental health care continues to evolve, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote psychotherapy has become a crucial component of the American healthcare system. But how do we ensure that therapists who work in remote environments feel belonging and connection in their work? For a remote private practice serving New Yorkers’ mental health needs, Ahali designed and developed customized tools that anticipate and address the unique needs in a remote therapist’s work-life journey, from their recruitment, through their training and development, and opportunities for leadership and advancement.
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Ahali worked with organizational leaders to develop a strategic learning plan and a blueprint for belonging and inclusion outlining the expected competencies and opportunities for clinical and professional development for provisionally licensed psychotherapists. Ahali designed over a dozen tools to strengthen an infrastructure that is adaptable and sustainable.
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By developing tools customized to the developmental, occupational, and holistic needs of provisional remote psychotherapists, The practice is able to operationalize their commitment to a culture of learning and support within their practice. Leaders are better able to attract, retain, and grow therapists that can provide optimal client care.
Building Authentic Community Research Across Disciplines
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Building authentic community requires more than shared interests or proximity—it demands intentional cultivation of meaningful relationships across disciplinary boundaries. As academic institutions and nonprofits increasingly recognize the importance of fostering genuine connection in their programming, there is a growing need for evidence-based approaches to community building that transcend traditional departmental silos. For a New York-based mental health nonprofit, Ahali designed and developed a transdisciplinary graduate research fellowship that explores the fundamental components of authentic relational community, bringing together emerging scholars from diverse fields to investigate how genuine human connection can be nurtured, sustained, and scaled.
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Ahali worked with organizational leaders to create a collaborative fellowship framework that bridges academic rigor with practical community-building experience. The program structure includes a carefully curated cohort selection process that draws fellows from fields such as educational psychology, sociology, design, theology, and public health. Ahali developed a curriculum that combines theoretical exploration of relational community models with hands-on research projects, peer collaboration opportunities, and cogenerative dialogue. The fellowship includes structured reflection practices, community engagement components, and a capstone project that contributes to the broader understanding of authentic relationship building in diverse contexts.
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By creating a space for transdisciplinary inquiry into authentic relational community, fellows emerge with both scholarly expertise and practical tools for fostering genuine connection in their future work, whether in academia, nonprofit leadership, or community organizing. The research generated through this program contributes to a growing body of knowledge about what makes communities truly thrive, with implications for everything from workplace culture to neighborhood development to online community building.
Empowering Clients to Understand the Process of Therapeutic Change
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The therapeutic relationship is the cornerstone of effective mental health treatment, yet many clients enter therapy with limited understanding of the process, unclear expectations, or hesitation about fully engaging in their healing journey. For private group psychotherapy practices, the challenge is compounded by the unique dynamics of group work, where clients must navigate not only their relationship with their therapist but also their connections with fellow group members. For an NYC-based private practice, Ahali designed and developed a client education and empowerment blog that serves as a bridge between practitioner expertise and client understanding, fostering stronger therapeutic alliances that enhance treatment outcomes.
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Ahali sought collaboration with clinical staff to create a content strategy that addresses the full spectrum of client needs and concerns. The blog features accessible articles that demystify the therapy process, explain the unique benefits of group therapy, and provide practical tools to maximize therapeutic engagement. Content includes psychoeducational pieces on what to expect in your therapy sessions, common mental health challenges, guidance for navigating difficult emotions that arise through the work, and testimonials that normalize the therapy experience. Ahali also developed an editorial calendar that ensures consistent, relevant content delivery and created templates for practitioners to contribute their own insights while maintaining the blog's cohesive voice and therapeutic integrity.
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By providing clients with accessible, expert-backed information about their therapeutic journey, the blog strengthens the foundation of trust and understanding that effective therapy requires. Clients arrive at sessions better prepared, more engaged, and with realistic expectations about the process ahead. The enhanced therapeutic alliance translates directly into improved treatment outcomes, as clients who feel informed and empowered are more likely to participate fully in their healing. For the practice, the blog serves as both a client retention tool and a demonstration of their commitment to transparency and client-centered care.
Inspiring Young Adults to Reclaim and Rewrite Historical Narratives
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Historical narratives have long been shaped by those in power, often obscuring the voices, experiences, and contributions of marginalized communities. As cultural institutions work to broaden public understanding of the past, there is a critical need to engage young adults in the process of historical reclamation—not as passive consumers of information, but as active participants in uncovering and amplifying previously silenced stories. In collaboration with a community group, Ahali designed a series of learning resources that introduce young adults to the tools and methodologies of critical historical research, empowering them to challenge dominant narratives and discover the fuller, more complex truths of our shared past.
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Ahali developed a multi-faceted learning framework that combines digital resources, hands-on research experiences, and peer collaboration opportunities. The resource includes handheld flashcards that teach young adults how to evaluate primary sources, recognize bias in historical accounts, and taps into archival research methods to uncover overlooked perspectives. Ahali created case studies focusing on historical figures whose stories have been incomplete or misrepresented, providing scaffolded research activities that guide participants through the process of narrative reclamation. The resource also includes discussion guides for facilitators that allow participants to share their discoveries and build upon each other's research findings.
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By equipping young adults with critical thinking skills and historical research methodologies, these learning resources create a new generation of informed citizens who approach history with curiosity, skepticism, and empathy. Participants develop not only research competencies but also a deeper understanding of how power structures influence storytelling and collective memory. The skills they gain extend far beyond historical analysis, preparing them to critically evaluate information in all aspects of their lives and to become advocates for more inclusive and accurate narratives in their communities and future careers.
Growing Community-Centered Networks of Care
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Caretakers—whether caring for aging parents, children with special needs, or family members with chronic illnesses—often sacrifice their own well-being while supporting others, leading to burnout, isolation, and compromised mental health. Traditional mental health services frequently fail to address the unique challenges caretakers face, from time constraints that make traditional therapy inaccessible to the complex emotions surrounding their caregiving responsibilities. For a community action group, Ahali designed a community of practice framework that recognizes caretakers' distinct needs while leveraging their inherent strengths and existing support networks to create sustainable, peer-driven mental health and community care solutions.
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Ahali developed a comprehensive framework that facilitates the formation of caretaker communities of practice across local networks of care. The framework includes assessment tools to identify the specific mental health needs, existing strengths, and available resources within caretaker communities, along with a facilitation guide that helps community leaders establish sustainable peer support networks. Ahali created a resource library tailored to different issues related to caretaking, and designed a virtual meeting format that accommodates caretakers' unpredictable schedules. The framework also includes partnerships with mental health professionals who can provide specialized training and consultation to the community leaders.
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By creating structured yet flexible communities of practice, this framework transforms how caretakers access and provide mutual support, reducing isolation and preventing burnout before it reaches crisis levels. Caretakers develop stronger networks, enhanced coping strategies, and improved mental health outcomes while maintaining their caregiving responsibilities. The peer-driven model ensures sustainability and scalability, as communities become self-sustaining sources of support that can adapt to their members' changing needs. This approach ultimately strengthens the entire caregiving ecosystem, benefiting not only caretakers but also those who depend on their care.
Building Trust and Transparency Through Collaborative Performance Partnerships
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Many small organizations struggle with traditional performance evaluation systems that feel transactional, create anxiety, and fail to foster genuine growth or trust between employees and supervisors. When performance reviews become isolated events focused primarily on assessment rather than development, they miss opportunities to strengthen relationships, identify systemic issues, and cultivate leadership at all levels. For a growing organization committed to equity and transparency, employee feedback revealed significant gaps between leadership intentions and employee experiences. Exit interviews, stay interviews, anonymous surveys, and leadership assessments conducted over three months painted a clear picture: employees wanted more meaningful dialogue about their growth and clearer pathways for advancement, while leadership sought better tools for supporting their teams and building organizational trust.
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Based on comprehensive assessment findings, Ahali designed an innovative performance partnership tool that reimagines the traditional evaluation process by integrating job coaching and performance assessment into a single, collaborative framework. The tool includes structured conversation guides that facilitate genuine dialogue between employees and supervisors, focusing on strengths identification, growth opportunities, and shared goal-setting. Ahali developed implementation protocols that ensure consistent use across teams while allowing for customization based on individual roles and career aspirations. The framework includes a recommended timeline that transforms performance conversations from annual events into ongoing partnerships, with regular check-ins that build trust over time. Supporting resources help supervisors develop coaching skills and provide leadership with aggregate insights for identifying organizational development opportunities and policy improvements.
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By transforming performance management from an evaluative process into a developmental partnership, this tool strengthens the foundation of trust and communication throughout the organization. Employees experience more meaningful support for their professional growth, while supervisors develop stronger coaching capabilities that benefit their entire teams. Leadership gains valuable insights into organizational patterns and needs, enabling them to make data-informed decisions about policy changes, professional development investments, and succession planning. The collaborative approach creates a culture where feedback flows freely in all directions, equity becomes embedded in daily practices, and transparency shifts from an aspiration to a lived organizational value.
Uniting Leaders Through Intentional Co-Leadership Vision and Practice
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Co-leadership models hold tremendous promise for more equitable and sustainable organizational governance, yet many leadership teams struggle to move beyond traditional hierarchical patterns even when they are committed to shared power. Without explicit frameworks for collaboration, well-intentioned co-leaders often find themselves reverting to familiar individual leadership styles, creating confusion about decision-making processes, communication patterns, and conflict resolution approaches. For a group genuinely committed to co-leadership principles, the challenge was not a lack of intention but rather the absence of concrete tools and shared language to operationalize their collaborative vision. They needed a structured process to articulate their collective leadership philosophy and develop practical strategies for navigating the complexities of shared governance.
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Ahali designed a comprehensive shared vision protocol that guided the leadership team through a structured exploration of their co-leadership aspirations and practical implementation strategies. The protocol begins with individual reflection activities that help participants identify the shared leadership frameworks they believe in, those they aspire to adopt, and those they recognize will not serve their group's unique context and values. Building on these personal insights, the protocol facilitates group dialogue sessions that synthesize individual perspectives into a cohesive collective vision. Ahali created exercises for developing shared language and communication norms that leaders can use both in their own meetings and when working with their teams. The protocol also includes restorative conflict resolution frameworks and strategies for embracing challenges as opportunities for strengthening their co-leadership practice.
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By providing a structured pathway for articulating and operationalizing their co-leadership vision, this protocol transforms abstract collaborative intentions into concrete, actionable practices. Leaders develop not only clarity about their shared governance model but also the communication skills and conflict resolution tools necessary to sustain it over time. The shared language they create enables more effective collaboration within the leadership team and clearer communication with their broader organization about how decisions are made and power is distributed. Most importantly, the protocol establishes a foundation for ongoing reflection and refinement, ensuring that their co-leadership practice continues to evolve in response to new challenges and opportunities.
Connecting Families Through Accessible Community Support Networks
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School districts serve as natural hubs for community connection, yet many families struggle to access the support and resources they need due to information gaps, technology barriers, and disconnected communication systems. Parents and community members often possess valuable resources and expertise but lack effective channels for sharing them with those who could benefit most. For [Parent and Community Outreach Organization Name], the challenge was creating a comprehensive support network within their school district that could bridge diverse communication preferences, overcome technology limitations, and ensure that community needs were meaningfully matched with available resources. They needed a framework that would be accessible to all stakeholders regardless of their comfort level with digital platforms.
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Ahali developed a multi-modal community care framework designed to accommodate diverse communication preferences and technology access levels. The framework includes multiple information-gathering tools—from paper-based surveys to phone interviews—that ensure all community voices can contribute to identifying local needs and available resources. Ahali created a question protocol and alignment checklist that systematically matches community needs with existing resources while identifying gaps that require additional support. The framework includes both digital and print components: a comprehensive printed resource guide for immediate distribution and use, paired with a website wireframe that allows for digital integration as technology access improves. Supporting templates and a structured update schedule ensure the resource network remains current and responsive to evolving community needs.
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By creating an inclusive framework that meets families where they are, this community support network eliminates traditional barriers to accessing and sharing resources. Parents who previously felt isolated or unsure how to help their children and community now have clear pathways for both receiving and offering support. The dual print and digital approach ensures no family is excluded due to technology limitations, while the systematic matching process maximizes the effectiveness of existing community resources. The framework creates a sustainable model for ongoing community care that strengthens connections between families, builds social capital within the school district, and establishes a foundation for collective problem-solving that extends far beyond individual needs.
