Mind the Gap: Have the Registered Counsellors Fallen Through?

Abstract

The professional category of Bachelor of Psychology (B.Psych.) Registered Counsellor was created in order to deliver psychological services at a primary health care level to previously disadvantaged communities. Between 2002 and 2004 the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, in the Eastern Cape, produced 84 graduates in this category. In an attempt to follow the career paths of these graduates, a survey was undertaken to determine how many graduates had progressed to the stage of professional registration and were working as Registered Counsellors, and to explore their present status and employment experiences. It was found that very few had registered with the Professional Board for Psychology and that most were continuing postgraduate studies or had moved into alternate career fields. Themes that emerged from the survey concern difficulty with registration, difficulty with employment, and lack of public and professional knowledge of the scope of practice of the Registered Counsellor. There were also some positive perceptions regarding the value of the Registered Counsellor category and the quality of training.

Registered Counsellors and Professional Work in South African Psychology

“…The studies of Benjamin and Louw-Potgieter(2008), Elkonin andSandison (2006), andGardner (2006) provided useful starting points. The full questionnaire is available from the second author.…”

“…The Board also lists the core competencies associated with the category in the same document, and these are summarised in Table 4. Recently the Professional Board proposed to change the title from "registered counsellor" to "psychological counsellor" (Elkonin & Sandison, 2006).…”

“…As far as could be ascertained, only two studies have addressed this question: Elkonin and Sandison (2006), and Kotze and Carolissen (2005). Both studies have focused on employment patterns, success in registering and finding work.…”

Registered counsellors’ perceptions of their role in the South African context of providing mental health-care services

“…This was supported by Elkonin and Sandison's (2006) research in which a recurring theme emerged, namely that of professional ignorance regarding the qualifications and competencies of registered counsellors.…”

“…In South Africa, the progression of these goals has been slow and stifled, as suggested by research from authors such as Petersen (2004), Elkonin and Sandison (2006), and Abel and Louw (2009).…”