The utilization of non-professional counsellors is increasing as the number of HIV-positive South Africans increases, together with the levels of criminal violence in South Africa. Non-professional counsellors work with people that are distressed and counsel people that are coping with trauma. The promotion and protection of counsellors' well-being is vital. Counsellors have to attentively guide people and avoid or alleviate feelings of stress and prevent burnout caused by the counselling process. People who work in human services are more likely to experience stress due to close involvement and interaction with other people. Emotional intelligence and coping can influence the well-being (burnout and engagement) of non-professional counsellors. Emotional intelligence may be crucial in helping counsellors work with different people and encourage their well-being. It is believed to assist in the conceptualisation of psychological well-being and can be applied as a means to successfully cope with demands and pressures of the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, burnout, engagement and coping among non-professional counsellors in Gauteng and the North-West Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A non-probability convenience sample was taken from various institutions employing non-professional counsellors in Gauteng and the North-West Province (7V=172). The Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and The COPE Questionnaire (COPE) were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, Spearman-product correlation coefficients, Manovas (to determine differences in demographical groups) and Multiple Regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Principal component analysis resulted in a two factor model for emotional intelligence, namely: emotion appraisal and emotion utilisation. Regarding burnout, a two factor model was also extracted namely: emotional exhaustion and cynicism. The factor that was found for engagement was work engagement. A four factor model was found for coping namely: approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The correlation coefficients indicated that emotional Exhaustion and avoidance were positively related to cynicism. Emotion appraisal was positively related to emotion utilisation, work engagement, approach coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was positively related to approach coping and seeking emotional support. Furthermore, approach coping and seeking emotional support as coping strategies were positively related to each other. Turning to religion as coping strategy was positively related to seeking emotional support. Lastly, work engagement was positively related to emotion appraisal. MANOVA analyses were used to determine any differences in the experience of emotional intelligence, coping, cynicism and emotional exhaustion indicated the following: No differences in emotional intelligence levels, cynicism, emotional exhaustion and work engagement could be found between gender and language groups, education levels and province. However, differences in coping strategies based on language groups and provinces were found. African language groups use avoidance and seeking emotional support more as coping strategies than Afrikaans language groups. Participants in the North-West province use avoidance more as a coping strategy than participants in Gauteng. Multiple Regression analyses showed that emotional intelligence and coping predicted 16 % of the variance in work engagement, 17% of the variance explained in cynicism and 11% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Recommendations were made for non-professional counsellors and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Apart from the exceptional landscapes, ideal weather, cultural diversity and other characteristics that typify South Africa, crime and HIV/AIDS are two of the most pressing phrases linked to our country. Victims of crime are at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many interventions have been initiated by the government to assist victims in overcoming the effects of crime, HIV/ AIDS and other social health problems on an emotional level, one of which is counselling. The paradigm shift from curing towards caring for HIV/AIDS positive individuals increased the demand for non-professional counsellors. However, without acquiring critical skills and attributes such as emotional intelligence, coping skills and so forth during a professional training programme, non-professional counsellors are at higher risk of suffering from secondary stress disorder. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. It therefore becomes necessary to conduct research on the health of non-professional counsellors. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and health of non-professional counsellors in the North-West and Gauteng provinces. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 172) was taken from clinics and institutions where counselling was provided to victims of HIV/AIDS and social problems in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, COPE and Health Subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. The factor analysis confirmed two factors for emotional intelligence, consisting of emotion expression and appraisal and emotion utilisation. Four factors were confirmed for coping, namely approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. Health was found to comprise psychological health and physical health. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, as well as approach to coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support. Approach to coping was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, while avoidance was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Turning to religion was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, and psychological health was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Multiple regression analyses showed that nine per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotion expression, appraisal and emotion utilisation, whereas 19 per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotional intelligence and approach to coping strategies. The only significant predictors of psychological health were emotion utilisation and avoidance. Furthermore, the multiple regression analyses also showed that 15 per cent of the variance in physical health was predicted by emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The only significant predictor of physical health was avoidance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Apart from the exceptional landscapes, ideal weather, cultural diversity and other characteristics that typify South Africa, crime and HIV/AIDS are two of the most pressing phrases linked to our country. Victims of crime are at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many interventions have been initiated by the government to assist victims in overcoming the effects of crime, HIV/ AIDS and other social health problems on an emotional level, one of which is counselling. The paradigm shift from curing towards caring for HIV/AIDS positive individuals increased the demand for non-professional counsellors. However, without acquiring critical skills and attributes such as emotional intelligence, coping skills and so forth during a professional training programme, non-professional counsellors are at higher risk of suffering from secondary stress disorder. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. It therefore becomes necessary to conduct research on the health of non-professional counsellors. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and health of non-professional counsellors in the North-West and Gauteng provinces. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 172) was taken from clinics and institutions where counselling was provided to victims of HIV/AIDS and social problems in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, COPE and Health Subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. The factor analysis confirmed two factors for emotional intelligence, consisting of emotion expression and appraisal and emotion utilisation. Four factors were confirmed for coping, namely approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. Health was found to comprise psychological health and physical health. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, as well as approach to coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support. Approach to coping was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, while avoidance was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Turning to religion was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, and psychological health was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Multiple regression analyses showed that nine per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotion expression, appraisal and emotion utilisation, whereas 19 per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotional intelligence and approach to coping strategies. The only significant predictors of psychological health were emotion utilisation and avoidance. Furthermore, the multiple regression analyses also showed that 15 per cent of the variance in physical health was predicted by emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The only significant predictor of physical health was avoidance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The utilization of non-professional counsellors is increasing as the number of HIV-positive South Africans increases, together with the levels of criminal violence in South Africa. Non-professional counsellors work with people that are distressed and counsel people that are coping with trauma. The promotion and protection of counsellors' well-being is vital. Counsellors have to attentively guide people and avoid or alleviate feelings of stress and prevent burnout caused by the counselling process. People who work in human services are more likely to experience stress due to close involvement and interaction with other people. Emotional intelligence and coping can influence the well-being (burnout and engagement) of non-professional counsellors. Emotional intelligence may be crucial in helping counsellors work with different people and encourage their well-being. It is believed to assist in the conceptualisation of psychological well-being and can be applied as a means to successfully cope with demands and pressures of the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, burnout, engagement and coping among non-professional counsellors in Gauteng and the North-West Province. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A non-probability convenience sample was taken from various institutions employing non-professional counsellors in Gauteng and the North-West Province (7V=172). The Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and The COPE Questionnaire (COPE) were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, Spearman-product correlation coefficients, Manovas (to determine differences in demographical groups) and Multiple Regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Principal component analysis resulted in a two factor model for emotional intelligence, namely: emotion appraisal and emotion utilisation. Regarding burnout, a two factor model was also extracted namely: emotional exhaustion and cynicism. The factor that was found for engagement was work engagement. A four factor model was found for coping namely: approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The correlation coefficients indicated that emotional Exhaustion and avoidance were positively related to cynicism. Emotion appraisal was positively related to emotion utilisation, work engagement, approach coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was positively related to approach coping and seeking emotional support. Furthermore, approach coping and seeking emotional support as coping strategies were positively related to each other. Turning to religion as coping strategy was positively related to seeking emotional support. Lastly, work engagement was positively related to emotion appraisal. MANOVA analyses were used to determine any differences in the experience of emotional intelligence, coping, cynicism and emotional exhaustion indicated the following: No differences in emotional intelligence levels, cynicism, emotional exhaustion and work engagement could be found between gender and language groups, education levels and province. However, differences in coping strategies based on language groups and provinces were found. African language groups use avoidance and seeking emotional support more as coping strategies than Afrikaans language groups. Participants in the North-West province use avoidance more as a coping strategy than participants in Gauteng. Multiple Regression analyses showed that emotional intelligence and coping predicted 16 % of the variance in work engagement, 17% of the variance explained in cynicism and 11% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Recommendations were made for non-professional counsellors and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Addiction counsellors provide the majority of treatment to individuals struggling with substance abuse and problem gambling behaviour and, therefore, compose an essential workforce for providing effective treatment to individuals with addictive behaviours. Given the growing body of research highlighting the effects of counsellors on client outcomes this study is among the first to use a mixed methods approach to study the job-related beliefs of addiction counsellors from Alberta, Canada. In Study 1, a quantitative survey was used to discover and describe 110 counsellors self-appraisals of self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and burnout from three previously validated survey instruments. In Study 2, 10 individual interviews were conducted to add depth and support to the quantitative Study 1 findings and add details about counsellor job motivation. Results from Study 1 reveal that counsellors are less confident in their skills for treating clients with co-occurring disorders and providing group counsel, are more satisfied with the intrinsic aspects of their jobs, and occasionally experience a low level of burnout in the form of emotional exhaustion and negative work environment. Furthermore, results support that greater self-efficacy is associated with greater job satisfaction, which are both associated with lower levels of burnout. Results from mediation analysis indicate self-efficacy mediates the relationship between job satisfaction and incompetence. Results from Study 2 highlight the importance of clients, learning opportunities, and organizational factors on counsellors job-related beliefs. / Psychological Studies in Education

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka grundskolekuratorers ansvarsområde gällande barnmisshandel utövad av förälder. För att uppfylla syftet har vi i vår studie utgått från en abduktiv ansats och genomfört sju kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer. Materialet har därefter analyserats genom professionsteori samt med stöd av våldsteori för att analysera hur vi kan förstå oss på barnmisshandel. Utifrån analysen har vi fått fram fem begreppspar, eller spänningsförhållanden, vilka utgör kärnan i resultatet. Resultatet bygger därför på följande begrepp; (1) Strukturellt eller individuellt fokus; (2) Barn- eller vuxenperspektiv; (3) Proaktivt eller reaktivt arbetssätt; (4) Generalist eller specialist; (5) Uppdelad eller sammanhållen förståelse av barnmisshandel. Utifrån resultatet kan vi konstatera att skolkuratorernas ansvarsområden varierar från skola till skola. Anledningen är dels att det saknas tydliga arbetsbeskrivningar vilket gör att de själva får forma sitt arbete. Denna valfrihet gör att vissa arbetar mer strukturellt på en mer övergripande förebyggande nivå, och andra individuellt, alltså mer med enskilda samtal. Vi såg även en skillnad i om de arbetar proaktivt eller reaktivt, det vill säga om de aktivt arbetar för att upptäcka våldet eller om de enbart hanterar det när en elev berättar. Respondenterna lägger oavsett förhållningssätt till arbetet tid på att se och lyssna på barnen, vilket vi tolkat som att de har ett barnperspektiv. Överlag visar resultatet att de flesta respondenter strävar efter att vara generalister där de inte specialiserat sig på barnmisshandel, och att de uppvisar en uppdelad förståelse för vad barnmisshandel är. Genom att enbart förstå vissa typer av våld som barnmisshandel gör de också skillnad på hur de arbetar och utbildar sig inom skolan. Slutligen visar resultatet att det finns en avsaknad av respondenter som arbetar både individuellt och proaktivt, vilket betyder att samtliga av de skolkuratorer vi intervjuat i praktiken lägger ett ansvar på att eleverna ska berätta om våldet. / The purpose with this study was to investigate school counsellors area of responsibility when it comes to child abuse by parents. To fulfil or purpose we have had an abductive approach and conducted seven qualitative semistructured interviews with school counsellors. The empirical material has thenceforth been analysed through theories about professions, and with support of theories about violence to help us analyse how we can understand child abuse. Through the analysis we identified five pairs of concepts or tensions between different approaches, which constitute the core of our results. Therefore, our results build on the following concepts: (1) Structural or individual focus; (2) Child or adult perspective; (3) Proactive or reactive approach; (4) Generalist or specialist; (5) Divided or connected understanding of child abuse. Through our results section we can establish that the school counsellors area of responsibility varies from school to school. This is partly because there are no clear job descriptions, which means that school counsellors themselves shape the work. This liberty of choice means that some counsellors focus their work on structural tasks on a more general and preventively level, and other on individual with more individual counselling. Furthermore, we saw a difference in if they work more proactively or reactively, that is, to what extent they actively work to discover violence towards children or if they only handle it when a child tells the adults. Regardless of their focus we can see that the respondents take their time to see and listen to the pupils, which we interpret as that them having a child perspective. The result shows that the respondents mainly aim to be generalists where they do not specialise in child abuse, and that they indicate a divided understanding about the subject. Because they regard only some types of violence as included in child abuse, they also make a difference in how they work and educate themselves within the school. Lastly, the result show that there is an absence of respondents who work both individually and proactively, which means that in practice all of the respondents place the responsibility on the pupils to speak up about the violence.

Procrastination as problematic delay is a widely occurring phenomenon in modern society. It is particularly prevalent in academic settings where some students avoid or postpone their work in numerous ways. Over the last three decades, a substantial body of quantitative and some qualitative studies have been conducted, however, to date researchers are still unclear about what causes this problem and how it can be effectively helped. Working with procrastination is therefore considered an important issue for counselling psychologists, many of whom work in university student counselling services. The aim of this research was to conduct an inductive qualitative study to explore how university counsellors understand and work with students who present for help with procrastination. Ten volunteer participants were interviewed who mainly identified themselves as working integratively. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted and the results produced four master themes that highlighted firstly general challenges of working with students who procrastinate in university settings. Secondly, three distinct styles of procrastination were identified from these participants’ accounts as “de-skilled”, “anxious/fearful” and “conflictual”. These indicated a need for tailored therapeutic approaches that seemed to be enabled by an integrative therapeutic stance. Overall, it may be concluded that procrastination as a presenting problem in academia is a heterogeneous phenomenon that requires adaptable therapeutic approaches for individual students’ styles in relation to studying autonomously.

The devastating impact and spread of HIV/AIDS is well recognized throughout the world. HIV/AIDS counselling is one element of Voluntary Testing and Counselling (VCT), a process designed to encourage testing, provide support, care and prevention knowledge. Quality assurance,ongoing training and counsellor support are vital components for VCT to succeed. The implementation of mentorship for HIV/AIDS counsellors is recommended as an appropriate way of addressing current counselling concerns and providing professional and psychsocial support structures to produce benefits for the quality of VCT in the long term. This study aimed at contributing to the limited field of research on the topic of mentorship by conducting an in-depth examination of mentorship in general and in an HIV/AIDS context specifically. A qualitative, interpretative method, using both in-depth interviews and focus groups, was used to address three specific research questions relating to mentorship views of HIV/AIDS counsellors and mentors in KwaZulu-Natal. A grounded theory analytic technique revealed that mentorship provides multiple functions such as guidance and support to counsellors, ongoing training and monitoring counsellor performance, which inevitably contributes to more motivated counsellors and improved quality of work. This study hopes to give greater insight into mentorship, specifically from the perspective of VCT counsellors and mentors, to those key role players and policy makers that are involved in the development of programmes for HIV/AIDS counsellors. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of the day-to-day and continuing work motivation of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. A life history methodology was employed to distill discrete motivational factors and to construct broader motivational frameworks. Nine professional mid-career counsellors/psychotherapists (6 women, 3 men, 3 psychologists, 3 social workers, 2 counselling psychologists and 1 privately trained PhD) drawn from private practice (3) and institutional workplaces (6) were given in-depth interviews to delve into the motivational experience occasioned by their work. Employing a series of guided questions each of the research participants were interviewed about the overall experience of the gratifications, satisfactions, and motivations occasioned by their work and discrete motivational experiences in session, in-the moment. Other questions delved into the experience of dissatisfaction and de-motivation, the factors that allowed them to persist in adverse circumstances, changes in their work motivation from the time they first entered the profession, and the effects of their work on their feelings of self-esteem and well-being. Through a grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts and informed by work motivation theory, the research participants’ observations on their motivational experience were used to construct three models. The first model demonstrated that the overall work motivation of the research participants was generated by the opportunity to simultaneously meet the three universal needs postulated by self-determination theory – autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second model was based on the phenomenon of privilege experienced by the research participants. In essence, the research participants were motivated to return the gift of intimacy, honour, and trust accorded to them by vulnerable clients in the establishment of the therapeutic bond and alliance, which allowed them to meet their own needs for relatedness and competence and generated feelings of responsibility and obligation to safeguard trust and protect vulnerability. The third model was generated from the research participants’ experience of the process of counselling and psychotherapy, incorporating goal-setting with clients, privilege, in-the-moment experiences of efficacy, and effectance feedback to the realization of proximal goals within the process, which reinforced the motivation to work towards the distal goals of positive outcome. The three models were incorporated into an integrated framework, describing the factors and processes underlying the work motivation, work satisfaction, self-esteem, and well-being of the research participants. The research may be useful for professional counsellors and psychotherapists and the institutions which employ them.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of the day-to-day and continuing work motivation of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. A life history methodology was employed to distill discrete motivational factors and to construct broader motivational frameworks. Nine professional mid-career counsellors/psychotherapists (6 women, 3 men, 3 psychologists, 3 social workers, 2 counselling psychologists and 1 privately trained PhD) drawn from private practice (3) and institutional workplaces (6) were given in-depth interviews to delve into the motivational experience occasioned by their work. Employing a series of guided questions each of the research participants were interviewed about the overall experience of the gratifications, satisfactions, and motivations occasioned by their work and discrete motivational experiences in session, in-the moment. Other questions delved into the experience of dissatisfaction and de-motivation, the factors that allowed them to persist in adverse circumstances, changes in their work motivation from the time they first entered the profession, and the effects of their work on their feelings of self-esteem and well-being. Through a grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts and informed by work motivation theory, the research participants’ observations on their motivational experience were used to construct three models. The first model demonstrated that the overall work motivation of the research participants was generated by the opportunity to simultaneously meet the three universal needs postulated by self-determination theory – autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second model was based on the phenomenon of privilege experienced by the research participants. In essence, the research participants were motivated to return the gift of intimacy, honour, and trust accorded to them by vulnerable clients in the establishment of the therapeutic bond and alliance, which allowed them to meet their own needs for relatedness and competence and generated feelings of responsibility and obligation to safeguard trust and protect vulnerability. The third model was generated from the research participants’ experience of the process of counselling and psychotherapy, incorporating goal-setting with clients, privilege, in-the-moment experiences of efficacy, and effectance feedback to the realization of proximal goals within the process, which reinforced the motivation to work towards the distal goals of positive outcome. The three models were incorporated into an integrated framework, describing the factors and processes underlying the work motivation, work satisfaction, self-esteem, and well-being of the research participants. The research may be useful for professional counsellors and psychotherapists and the institutions which employ them.