The career counselling services industry is currently being challenged by a unique set of conditions which has resulted in calls for a greater client orientation in the delivery of career services. The current study takes up this challenge by using marketing concepts to explore the relationship between the expectations (desired) people in career transition have of a career counselling service and the perceptions career counselling service providers have of client expectations. In the process, it also examines variables (career transition group membership, career decision-making self-efficacy, age, gender, and previous experience with a career counselling service) that may impact on the expectations people in career transition have of a career counselling service. The study used a three-phased mixed method approach to gather expectation and perception data. In Phase 1, focus group interviews were conducted with participants from three career transition groups - Year 12 students, final year university students, and adults in midcareer transition. A series of one-to-one interviews with three groups of career counsellors (those in schools, tertiary institutions, and private practice) was undertaken in Phase 2. Phase 3 consisted of a questionnaire, which was administered to broader populations of people in career transition and career counsellors. The people in career transition subject group completed a three-part questionnaire consisting of the Expectations About Career Counselling measure (developed by the researcher), the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy-Short Form (an existing measure), and demographic questions. Career counsellors completed a two-part questionnaire, which included the Expectations About Career Counselling (EACC) and demographic questions. The people in career transition subject group were asked to respond to the EACC according to what they wanted from a career counselling service. Career counsellors were asked to respond to the same measure as if they were one of their clients attending their first career counselling interview. In the development of the EACC, an existing measure (the Expectations About Counselling-Brief Form; Tinsley, 1982), was modified using career counselling expectation themes derived from the analysis of data collected in Phases 1 and 2. Factor analysis of the data obtained from the EACC identified four clear factors. These factors were named Career Counsellor Responsibility, Client Responsibility, Quality Outcome and Realism. The findings from Phase 3 indicated that people in career transition had high to very high expectations for the EACC subscales Career Counsellor Responsibility and Quality Outcome, moderate expectations for Realism, and moderate to high expectations for Client Responsibility. Significant differences were found based on transition group membership, gender, age, and previous experience with a career counselling service. In addition, it was found that people in career transition had moderate to high career decision-making self-efficacy and that respondents with higher self-efficacy scores also had higher expectations of a career counselling service. The findings also indicated that there was a significant difference or gap between the expectations of people in career transition and the perceptions of career counsellors concerning client expectations of career counselling. Career counsellors perceived that clients were less committed and more unrealistic about the career counselling process and the counsellor's role than was indicated by the results from the people in career transition subject group. Recommendations based on the findings of this research study were made for career counsellors, professional associations, education and training organisations, education institutions and systems and government policy makers. Specifically, the recommendations addressed the importance of acknowledging, clarifying, and managing client expectations, providing interventions to educate people in career transition about the career decision-making process and the role of the career counsellor, and the implementation of processes to promote ongoing professional development in the career counselling services industry.

This study explored Childline Zimbabwe’s provision of psychosocial support to sexually abused children. This was done by reviewing counsellors’ practices regarding face-to-face counselling, counselling approaches, referrals, follow-ups, case recording and through measuring client satisfaction levels. A qualitative case study approach was adopted with mixed methods to collect data from counsellors and clients. Data analysis was informed by grounded theory and followed an inductive process of coding and categorising the data into relevant themes. The outcomes of this study showed that referral of clients represents a major strategy of addressing child sexual abuse cases. The engagement of clients in face-to-face counselling stages however remained limited due to difficult work environments and challenges related to individual counsellors’ capacities. This posed questions about Childline’s role as a counselling or referral organisation. This study contributes to counselling of sexually abused children with information over the counselling interventions necessary in addressing survivors of sexual abuse. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die effek van die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse bedeling kring uit na alle samelewingsterreine en die onderwys is nie hiervan uitgesluit nie. Hierdie navorsing is daarop toegespits om ondersoek in te stel na die funksionering en strukturering van, en nuwe moontlik:hede vir sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste. Met die skrapping van die apartheidsbeleid is sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste voor die werklik:heid gestel om in 'n multikulturele sarnelewing te funksioneer. In Suid-Afrika is multikulturele berading, hulpverlening en toetsing 'n haas onbekende terrein en die probleme word in hierdie navorsing aangespreek. In onderhawige studie is daar gekyk na die veranderende funksies van die opvoedkundige sielkundige en ander professionele persone verbonde aan skoolklinieke. Die besondere rol van die skoolvoorligter en die klasonderwyser is uitgelig. , Die nuwe politieke bedeling verg die herstrukturering van sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste. Die verskillende tersaaklike aspekte is bespreek en voorstelle is aan die hand gedoen. Oorkoepelende beplanning behoort op nasionale vlak te geskied, terwyl provinsiale strukture binne die raarnwerk van eiesoortige omstandighede en unieke behoeftes tot stand moet kom. Die onontbeerlike rol en funksie van hierdie diens en sy essensiele bydrae in die totstandkoming van 'n nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbedeling is uitgewys. / The effect of the new South-African dispensation extends to all areas of society and education is not excluded. This research is aimed at investigating the functioning and structuring of psychological and counselling services as well as exploring the new possibilities of these services. With the scrapping of apartheid policies the psychological and counselling services are faced with the reality of functioning in a multicultural society. In South-Africa multicultural counselling, assistance and testing is a virtually unknown area and problems pertaining to these are addressed in this research. In the present study the changing functions of the educational psychologist and other professionals adherent to the school clinics are considered. The particular roles of the school counsellor and class teacher are highlighted. The new political dispensation requires the re-structuring of psychological and counselling services. The different relevant aspects are discussed and suggestions are put forward. Umbrella planning needs to be done on national level, while provincial structures must be brought about within the framework of distinctive circumstances and unique needs. The indispensable role and function of this service and its essential contribution to the bringing about of a new South-African education dispensation are pointed out. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.

This study explored Childline Zimbabwe’s provision of psychosocial support to sexually abused children. This was done by reviewing counsellors’ practices regarding face-to-face counselling, counselling approaches, referrals, follow-ups, case recording and through measuring client satisfaction levels. A qualitative case study approach was adopted with mixed methods to collect data from counsellors and clients. Data analysis was informed by grounded theory and followed an inductive process of coding and categorising the data into relevant themes. The outcomes of this study showed that referral of clients represents a major strategy of addressing child sexual abuse cases. The engagement of clients in face-to-face counselling stages however remained limited due to difficult work environments and challenges related to individual counsellors’ capacities. This posed questions about Childline’s role as a counselling or referral organisation. This study contributes to counselling of sexually abused children with information over the counselling interventions necessary in addressing survivors of sexual abuse. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die effek van die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse bedeling kring uit na alle samelewingsterreine en die onderwys is nie hiervan uitgesluit nie. Hierdie navorsing is daarop toegespits om ondersoek in te stel na die funksionering en strukturering van, en nuwe moontlik:hede vir sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste. Met die skrapping van die apartheidsbeleid is sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste voor die werklik:heid gestel om in 'n multikulturele sarnelewing te funksioneer. In Suid-Afrika is multikulturele berading, hulpverlening en toetsing 'n haas onbekende terrein en die probleme word in hierdie navorsing aangespreek. In onderhawige studie is daar gekyk na die veranderende funksies van die opvoedkundige sielkundige en ander professionele persone verbonde aan skoolklinieke. Die besondere rol van die skoolvoorligter en die klasonderwyser is uitgelig. , Die nuwe politieke bedeling verg die herstrukturering van sielkundige en voorligtingsdienste. Die verskillende tersaaklike aspekte is bespreek en voorstelle is aan die hand gedoen. Oorkoepelende beplanning behoort op nasionale vlak te geskied, terwyl provinsiale strukture binne die raarnwerk van eiesoortige omstandighede en unieke behoeftes tot stand moet kom. Die onontbeerlike rol en funksie van hierdie diens en sy essensiele bydrae in die totstandkoming van 'n nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbedeling is uitgewys. / The effect of the new South-African dispensation extends to all areas of society and education is not excluded. This research is aimed at investigating the functioning and structuring of psychological and counselling services as well as exploring the new possibilities of these services. With the scrapping of apartheid policies the psychological and counselling services are faced with the reality of functioning in a multicultural society. In South-Africa multicultural counselling, assistance and testing is a virtually unknown area and problems pertaining to these are addressed in this research. In the present study the changing functions of the educational psychologist and other professionals adherent to the school clinics are considered. The particular roles of the school counsellor and class teacher are highlighted. The new political dispensation requires the re-structuring of psychological and counselling services. The different relevant aspects are discussed and suggestions are put forward. Umbrella planning needs to be done on national level, while provincial structures must be brought about within the framework of distinctive circumstances and unique needs. The indispensable role and function of this service and its essential contribution to the bringing about of a new South-African education dispensation are pointed out. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.

This research investigates how the speech community living in Maputo city uses language in relation to HIV/AIDS and studies related stigmas which impede women's access to HIV/AIDS counselling services. My hypothesis is that frequent use of gender stereotypes in AIDS discourse aims at stigmatising women as AIDS propagators, while minimizing male sexual transgressions in the AIDS crisis. Interpretation of primary data collected via focus group discussions and interviews is done with five different approaches that study respectively: social meanings and representations of AIDS embedded in context, the stigmatising process correlating gender stereotypes and discrimination against women, stereotypical speech attitudes and speech mechanism as well as the functions and effects of stereotyping. My conclusion is that deeply rooted gender barriers are to be removed in order to combat the social plague of AIDS and that ethnography of communication offers interesting models for development projects that can initiate behavioural changes through speech. / Linguistics / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)

This research investigates how the speech community living in Maputo city uses language in relation to HIV/AIDS and studies related stigmas which impede women's access to HIV/AIDS counselling services. My hypothesis is that frequent use of gender stereotypes in AIDS discourse aims at stigmatising women as AIDS propagators, while minimizing male sexual transgressions in the AIDS crisis. Interpretation of primary data collected via focus group discussions and interviews is done with five different approaches that study respectively: social meanings and representations of AIDS embedded in context, the stigmatising process correlating gender stereotypes and discrimination against women, stereotypical speech attitudes and speech mechanism as well as the functions and effects of stereotyping. My conclusion is that deeply rooted gender barriers are to be removed in order to combat the social plague of AIDS and that ethnography of communication offers interesting models for development projects that can initiate behavioural changes through speech. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)