Registered counsellors were regarded as part of the solution to the ever-increasing void in
mental healthcare and were acknowledged by the South African government over a decade ago.
Some challenges have however arisen regarding the implementing of their vocations in the
community, that impact service delivery as well as career satisfaction of registered counsellors,
but limited information is available in terms of the exploration of the perceptions of registered
counsellors regarding their role in the South African context.
This study focused on exploring how registered counsellors perceive their role in South
Africa and describing these perceptions. This research is important because little is known about
the perceptions of registered counsellors and their experience of their role in the South African
context.
The research was conducted in Johannesburg and Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. 12
participants (one man and 11 women) volunteered to be part of the research. The size of the
sample was not predetermined, but was rather based on data saturation. The participants were
purposefully selected on the basis of having acquired the registration of registered counsellor
with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
Data was collected through conducting semi-structured interviews with all the participants.
An interview schedule was used to facilitate the interview process for consistency in the
interviews. Thematic analysis was utilised to delineate different themes. To ensure the
trustworthiness of the research process, the guidelines suggested by Lincoln and Guba (1985)
were followed.
The current researcher found that the registered counsellors experienced conflicting
perceptions of their role in South Africa. They felt that their role was a necessary and important
one in South Africa and in the context of the development of mental healthcare in South Africa. However, some negative feelings were also expressed as they experienced uncertainty regarding
their role in the profession as well as the changing scope of practice for registered counsellors in
South Africa. Additional negative perceptions were associated with a lack of acknowledgement
of their role by other mental healthcare professionals and some ignorance from the public
regarding the work of registered counsellors.
To promote adequate mental healthcare in South Africa, mental health professionals such
as registered counsellors are particularly important. But what appears to be the uncertainty and a
lack of information related to the role of registered counsellors, has impacted negatively on their
perception of their role in South Africa and, as a result, many individuals do not work in the
professional mental healthcare field. It is recommended that the perception of the registered
counsellors be acknowledged and taken into consideration to further the development of mental
healthcare and treatment for mental health difficulties within the South African context. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11964 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Rouillard, Marie Claire Michelle |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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