Dr. Emídio Dimande

Dr. Emídio Dimande is a relationship and family counsellor with more than a decade of experience in marriage and relationship counselling, alongside approximately three decades of experience supporting students and young people through counselling, mentoring, education, and community-based work.

His experience spans diverse communities and settings, including religious, educational, academic, and community environments, giving him a broad understanding of the personal, relational, cultural, and life circumstances that can influence individual and family wellbeing. As a husband and father of two, he also brings a personal appreciation of the complexities, joys, and responsibilities that shape family life.

A longstanding commitment to supporting people

Dr. Dimande began his work with young people at the age of 16 through S.M.I.L.E. (St. Mary’s Interactive Learning Experience), a South African community programme focused on educational upliftment. This early experience developed into a longstanding commitment to supporting individuals, young people, families, and communities through different stages and circumstances of life.

Before specialising in marriage and relationship counselling, Dr. Dimande spent approximately 30 years working as a student and youth counsellor. This experience continues to inform his approach to counselling, particularly his understanding of how individual development, family relationships, education, culture, faith, and life circumstances intersect.

Relationship & marriage counselling

Dr. Dimande works with individuals and couples around a range of relationship and life concerns, including:

• Premarital preparation
• Relationship transitions and major life changes
• Communication and conflict
• Trust and relationship difficulties
• Recovering from infidelity and relationship injuries
• Pre-divorce concerns and relationship decision-making
• Family and parenting concerns
• Relationship development and strengthening
• Cultural and racial dynamics within relationships
• Personal values, vision, purpose, and life direction

His approach recognises that relationship difficulties rarely exist in isolation. Individual experiences, family backgrounds, personal values, cultural contexts, faith, life transitions, and wider circumstances can all influence how people experience and navigate relationships.

Professional training & assessment

As a qualified counsellor, Dr. Dimande has undertaken professional training through recognised organisations and continues to develop his knowledge and skills through ongoing professional learning and engagement with developments in counselling and relationship practice.

He is trained as a PREPARE/ENRICH Assessment Facilitator and SYMBIS Assessment Facilitator, enabling him to incorporate structured relationship assessment into appropriate counselling and relationship-development processes.

He is a Premier Member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and an Honorary Member of the Psychology Association of Mozambique. He is also a trained Mental Health First Aider through Light University and holds CITI Program certification in social and behavioural research ethics, compliance and safety.

Academic & professional background

Dr. Dimande holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Community Care and Counselling from Liberty University, United States of America. His broader professional experience includes university teaching, environmental management, educational services, and community-based work in the United Kingdom and Mozambique.

He has also received professional training through Universidade Eduardo Mondlane and Light University, contributing to his multidisciplinary perspective on counselling, education, mental health practice, community care, and human development.

A lifetime of supporting people and relationships

“You will never learn from a place you have never been to, a problem you have never had, and an action you have never performed.”

At the heart of Dr. Dimande’s work is that simple belief: people deserve support within the context of their own lives.

People shape and are shaped by relationships with spouses, children, parents, families, communities, faith, culture, and the wider world around them. For this reason, counselling is not only about addressing difficulties. It can also provide an opportunity to develop greater understanding, strengthen relationships, clarify personal values and intentions, and work towards a more meaningful and purposeful way of living.

Dr. Dimande seeks to provide a professional, compassionate, and respectful counselling environment in which individuals, couples, and families can explore their concerns, recognise their strengths, and work towards meaningful change.