About
Make your stand.
You aren’t your diagnosis which is why we don’t focus on it. In fact, you could say that what we offer is so different from the mainstream that it makes us feel like rebels.
At the core of our service, Qlara seeks to change the way you access mental health care by focusing on client-led recovery. We're here to support your recovery by putting you in the driver’s seat and giving you the choice and control over your treatment. We never judge—in fact, we appreciate all the aspects of your personality that make you different.
We focus on recovery-oriented mental health care because we want you to live your best life.
Our story.
Founded to make change.
Over the past 15 years, I have worked with a lot of talented professionals who are genuine about supporting others but are often stuck in a system. There’s no shortage of skills and passion out there to bring better mental health and disability support services - but I’ve always felt we needed to believe in the idea that it’s possible.
We founded Qlara to change the way mental health is experienced because I know what it’s like to navigate the complexities of our current system. I’ve lived with significant trauma in my childhood and again in adulthood. And for the past 20 years, I have been pursuing my own mental health in various ways. Some were positive and others exposed my vulnerabilities.
It’s been a difficult journey, and like others, I often felt misunderstood and alone, which is not how mental health recovery should feel. Knowing firsthand what the recovery journey should be like and should not be like, I teamed up with a friend and Jess, and together founded Qlara to empower and help others re-author their experience in their mental health journey. -
— Edwin Oliva, Co-founder
Why do I feel like I’m not being heard?
This is the question that started it all.
Mental health is challenging enough. But trying to be heard and find answers in a complex and broken system isn’t the solution. If fact, it can feel as if the game is rigged against you.
So we dove deep into our lived experiences. We also spoke to loved ones and others who’ve walked the journey. We connected with mental health professionals who were even more curious about the problems in our current system than we were, and then we included them on our team.
In the end, this one question inspired us to create Qlara, a recovery-oriented mental health service that provides practical support and helps you tackle the areas of life that really matter to you.
We wanted you to know that life can go on, even with the mental health challenges you face.
Central to everything we do at Qlara is empathy, hope and sustainability (just as important as you are the people who care for you). Our service is a safe place where your truth can flourish and you will be given every opportunity to live your ideal life with confidence.
— The team at Qlara