Analysis Of Registered Counsellors Perceptions Of Their Role In South Africa
In the article “Registered counsellors’ perceptions of their role in the South African context of providing mental health-care services”, Rouillard, Wilson and Weideman (2015) seek to explore how registered counsellors perceive their role in the South African context as well as the reasons that account for their perception. Although South Africa’s mental health-care system currently reveals deficits in available resources in terms of equipment and supplies, it primarily relies on and calls for trained human resources to be the mainstay of an effective and essential service. It is here that registered counsellors could close the gap on workforce shortages and contribute significantly to providing affordable mental health care. However, the
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Through the study that was conducted, patterns were identified and a central theme was developed which provides an explanation for the perceptions registered counsellors have. First and foremost, it is without doubt evident that the registered counsellors that formed part of this study were characterised by a prosocial behaviour as they have “a desire to assist others with psychological challenges” (p. 5). This is a key element to being a counsellor. Despite being motivated by empathy, most interviewees could not pursue their profession in becoming a psychologist due to the difficulties of obtaining a Master’s degree. To such a complex process there were many themes that proceeded as obstacles to their role as counsellors in mental health-care systems. Although the need for counsellors was recognised, there was not an adequate amount of information provided for the profession which raised uncertainty and self-doubt. The lack of clarity regarding this profession rendered the work of psychologists unclear. In addition to these impediments was the misperception from both the public and other professionals regarding the role of registered counsellors, leaving a vague and inexplicit understanding of the exact role counsellors played in mental health-care. Therefore it is evident that the role of a registered counsellor is not only hindered by the uncertainty of their career but also by the misperception of others which has undermined their significant role of counsellors in mental
Through the study that was conducted, patterns were identified and a central theme was developed which provides an explanation for the perceptions registered counsellors have. First and foremost, it is without doubt evident that the registered counsellors that formed part of this study were characterised by a prosocial behaviour as they have “a desire to assist others with psychological challenges” (p. 5). This is a key element to being a counsellor. Despite being motivated by empathy, most interviewees could not pursue their profession in becoming a psychologist due to the difficulties of obtaining a Master’s degree. To such a complex process there were many themes that proceeded as obstacles to their role as counsellors in mental health-care systems. Although the need for counsellors was recognised, there was not an adequate amount of information provided for the profession which raised uncertainty and self-doubt. The lack of clarity regarding this profession rendered the work of psychologists unclear. In addition to these impediments was the misperception from both the public and other professionals regarding the role of registered counsellors, leaving a vague and inexplicit understanding of the exact role counsellors played in mental health-care. Therefore it is evident that the role of a registered counsellor is not only hindered by the uncertainty of their career but also by the misperception of others which has undermined their significant role of counsellors in mental