University of KwaZulu-Natal
Wellington Mhishi is a Correctional Officer with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS), where he serves as a Facilitator and Mental Health Practitioner at the ZPCS Staff College. In this role, he is actively involved in the training and capacity development of correctional officers, with a particular focus on correctional science, mental health, rehabilitation and evidence-based correctional practice. Additionally, he lectures at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) in the Bachelor of Science in Correctional Service programme, which is part of the Faculty of Business Studies and is offered in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS).
He is currently a PhD student in Psychology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa, supported by the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI-II). Wellington is a Master of Science in Neuropsychology Graduate from the National Forensic Sciences University in India and a Master of Philosophy in Public Mental Health from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He is an AMARI-I MPhil alumnus and his doctoral research builds directly on the conceptual, methodological and applied foundations developed during his MPhil training.
Wellington has extensive professional experience in the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals with mental and intellectual disabilities in forensic and correctional settings. He is highly skilled in delivering psychoeducation to clients, families and correctional personnel and in providing individual and group psychological interventions grounded in evidence-based therapeutic approaches to support mental health recovery, enhance psychosocial functioning and facilitate successful community reintegration. He is also proficient in using electroencephalography (EEG) to record and interpret brain electrical oscillations. Additionally, he is knowledgeable about neurofeedback and biofeedback as emerging tools for cognitive and mental health interventions.
His doctoral research focuses on the intersection of community-based rehabilitation programmes and mental health recovery, with the overarching goal of developing a sustainable, culturally responsive and contextually grounded framework to strengthen psychosocial support, continuity of care and social reintegration for individuals living with severe mental illness in Zimbabwe. Through this work, Wellington aims to contribute to policy-relevant, scalable models of mental health care that bridge institutional, community, and public mental health systems.
Supervisors:
Dr. Xoli Mfene-Mkhize, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Primary Supervisor)
Dr. Gwatirera Javangwe, University of Zimbabwe (Co-Supervisor)