WHAT WE DO
Calabash is a continuing professional development platform for mental health practitioners around the world, built on a simple idea: sharing knowledge.
We believe that learning should feel accessible, relevant, and connected to the real work practitioners do every day. That is why we offer a growing library of on-demand webinars led by experienced clinicians and international experts, each sharing insights from their own area of practice. Our talks span a wide range of topics, creating space for both depth and diversity in learning.
At Calabash, we understand that professional development needs to fit into full and often demanding lives. Our sessions are designed to be flexible and easy to engage with, so practitioners can continue learning in a way that works for them.
We are proud to support meaningful, recognised professional development for counsellors and mental health professionals across different regions and professional bodies. More than that, we aim to foster a sense of connection within the field by bringing voices, ideas, and experiences together in one place.
Calabash is about staying curious, growing over time, and supporting better care through shared knowledge.
THE CALABASH STORY
The Calabash of Knowledge is an African fable that tells the story of how wisdom came to be shared with the world.
In this story, Anansi, the spider who represents the spirit of knowledge, set out to gather all the world’s wisdom and keep it for himself. He placed it carefully inside a large calabash, sealing it away so no one else could access it.
Still uneasy, Anansi decided to hide the calabash high in the branches of a tall, thorny tree. If it was out of reach, he thought, the knowledge would remain his alone. But as he struggled to climb, the weight of the calabash made it difficult to hold. Again and again, it slipped, no matter how tightly he tried to cling to it.
Watching nearby, his child laughed and pointed out that there was a simpler way to carry it. In that moment, Anansi realised that even in trying to hold all knowledge, he did not know everything.
Soon after, he lost his grip. The calabash fell, shattered on the ground, and the wisdom it held spilled out into the world. A great storm rose and carried that knowledge far and wide, across land and sea, so that it could be shared by everyone.
It is from this story that the calabash has come to symbolise the idea that knowledge is not meant to be kept, but shared. At Calabash, this idea sits at the heart of what we do. We exist to support the ongoing sharing of knowledge across the mental health community, making learning more accessible, connected, and alive in practice.
WHO WE ARE
We are psychologists creating a curated video library that broadens access to diverse areas of practice for professionals across the country. Each resource is grounded in expertise and designed to deliver practical, high-impact learning.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Diagnosis, formulation & treatment