• Environmental- a positive and healthy living space, both in and outside the home

• Love, Support, and Connection- a sense of safety, acceptance, security, belonging, and that you matter to others while being empathetic and having reciprocal connections

• Relational- healthy professional and personal relationships and the associated skills to manage them

• Recreational- enjoyment and pleasure in life, a feeling that “the effort of life is worth it”

• Meaning/ Influence/ Legacy- purpose and drive in life, a cause that excites and stabilizes

• Self-actualization- self discovery and self love

• Financial- the ability to have safety, security and enjoyment in this physical world

• Intellectual/ Mental Wellness- thinking that is empowering, inspirational, and has a positive impact on a person’s world

• Physical Health and Wellness- being capable of the things one wishes to do in this physical world without pain or hindrance

• Spiritual- a sense of awe, wonder, and connection to something greater than the individual and mundane

• Emotional- the ability to experience joy, happiness, peace, fulfillment, contentment

• Community- the ability to be your authentic self in public and feel connected to greater causes

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While Ampersand Empowerment gives a deep nod to the inspiration of SAMSHA’s 8 Dimensions of Wellness, we feel that the 8 Dimensions lead more to survival than fulfilled living, which has been the plight of those with a mental health diagnosis for a long time. It is time to acknowledge factors such as poverty, racism, stigma, etc. that will weigh down the lives of people living with a mental health diagnosis no matter how much “positive thinking” they engage in. It is time to embrace the whole reality of a person, offering services that build on and go beyond mental health treatment for a truly fulfilling life experience. Ampersand Empowerment will do this by offering interactive support groups, trainings, and warm linkage to resources that build people up. This is enhanced by the sense of community built by clients who befriend each other while engaging in these services. No more will clients go to therapy to “work on themselves” only to ride a bus home alone to impoverished hardship that they’re supposed to “see in a new light.” At Ampersand Empwerment’s Shalimar Center, clients will not only grow to become the best versions of themselves, but find activities and community that welcome them and provide life-changing resources.