Indigenous Marital Therapy: A Case of Botswana

Abstract

Botswana has a long history of indigenous marital therapy. This indigenous therapy is embodied in the indigenous philosophy of motho ke motho ka batho (I am because we are). This philosophy promotes togetherness, connectedness, collectiveness, compassion, love and harmony and the building of sustainable relationships among families. The paper explores some of the indigenous therapeutic marital approaches used during wedding ceremonies amongst them, songs, proverbs and group counselling. It also argues that these indigenous marital approaches build family relations and are a continuous source of therapy for the married couple; in addition to relieving women from marital stress and maintaining strong family relationships even after the marriage has ended.

“Walking in Two Worlds”: Toward an Indigenist Ecological Systems Model for Group Therapy

“…Moving towards an Indigenist ecological systems model is crucial for counseling psychologists to align science and practice with culture to bridge the gap between Indigenous–Western binaries for Indigenous peoples. Historically, counseling psychology has and continues to aspire to integrate Indigenous healing practices into Western psychotherapy to promote the health, well-being, and liberation of Indigenous peoples worldwide (Gone, 2010; LaFromboise et al, 1990; Moeti & Mokgolodi, 2017; Taimanglo, 1998). We offer the IESM as an indigenized paradigm that provides counseling psychologists with a dynamic framework for delving into the rich and complex cultural and historical forces within and between Indigenous and Western peoples—forces that shape their interactions, ability to connect with, and truly serve Indigenous peoples.…”

“…Ultimately, Gone (2010) highlighted challenges to integrating psychotherapy and traditional healing, and recommended psychologists alter local traditional healing practices to standard psychological convention as a decolonial integrative approach. Indeed, scholars have long advocated for the integration of Indigenous peoples’ epistemologies and ontologies into counseling psychology and practice in North America and beyond, including in Indigenous communities in China (Leung & Chen, 2009), the Maōri of New Zealand (Bennett et al, 2016), Indigenous peoples in Botswana (Moeti & Mokgolodi, 2017), among many others (Nicolas & Rendón, 2010; Taimanglo, 1998). As a result, we propose the IESM as a framework to further efforts to integrate Indigenous worldviews with counseling psychology.…”

“Walking in Two Worlds”: Towards an Indigenist Ecological Systems Model for Group Therapy

“…Moving towards an Indigenist Ecological Systems Model is crucial for counseling psychologists to align science and practice with culture to bridge the gap between Indigenous-Western binaries for Indigenous Peoples. Historically, counseling psychology has and continues to aspire to integrate Indigenous healing practices into Western psychotherapy to promote the health, well-being, and liberation of Indigenous Peoples worldwide (Gone, 2010;LaFromboise et al, 1990;Moeti, & Mokgolodi, 2017;Taimanglo, 1998). We offer IESM as an indigenized paradigm that provides counseling psychologists with a dynamic framework for delving into the rich and complex cultural and historical forces within and between Indigenous and Western peoples -forces that shape our interactions, ability to connect with, and truly serve Indigenous Peoples.…”

“…Ultimately, Gone (2010) highlighted challenges to integrating psychotherapy and traditional healing, and recommended psychologists alter local traditional healing practices to standard psychological convention as a decolonial integrative approach. Indeed, scholars have long advocated for the integration of Indigenous Peoples' epistemologies and ontologies into counseling psychology and practice in North America and beyond, including in Indigenous communities in China (Leung & Chen, 2009), the Maōri of New Zealand (Bennett et al, 2016), Indigenous Peoples in Botswana (Moeti & Mokgolodi, 2017), among many others (Nicolas & Rendón, 2010;Taimanglo, 1998). As a result, we propose IESM as a framework to further efforts to integrate Indigenous worldviews with counseling psychology.…”

Hearing the voices of Black Africans: Essential components for culturally relevant marriage enrichment programs in South Africa

“…Conventional couple counseling/guidance (go laya) warranting marital success Go laya is described as a mechanism for equipping couples with new skills and highlights the significance of intergenerational guidance and communal expectations in shaping the behavior and conduct of couples as they enter into marriage (Moeti & Mokgolodi, 2017). As a form of marriage education, guidance helps couples navigate challenges and understand their roles within the union.…”