Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counselling

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counselling is to equip learners with the following knowledge and applied skills:

• Providing interventions, preventative counselling, and developmental counselling assistance.
• Providing psychological screening to determine mental health difficulties.
• Conduct proficient psychometric assessments accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for use within the Registered Counsellor's scope of practice.
• Provide containment of distress in individuals.
• Assist and support the return of individuals, families, groups, and communities to previous levels of functioning.
• Provide mental health promotion and psychoeducation where needed.
• Encourage essential psychosocial well-being.
• Work with a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals.
• Refer to suitable mental health professionals and other resources, based on best practice guidelines for the health professions.

The qualification is suited for individuals who wish to work within the mental health field as Registered Counsellors. Working within the profession allows graduates to make psychological services more accessible to the South African population, with a specific focus on preventative interventions that centre on mental health and the promotion of psychological well-being for communities, groups, families, and individuals.

On completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Display and engage with knowledge relating to the Registered Counsellor field.
• Examine, evaluate and process various sources of knowledge.
• Demonstrate comprehension of the complexities and uncertainties involved in methods and procedures regarding unfamiliar problems.
• Exhibit problem-solving skills, by identifying, analysing, and confronting abstract or intricate problems, using systematic knowledge and appropriate methods relevant to the field.
• Identify and confront ethical dilemmas and challenges using critical reflection on ethics in particular contexts.
• Critically review gathered data, synthesis of data, evaluation, and administration of processes to deliver creative responses to issues or problems.
• Present and communicate to various audiences, demonstrating insight, comprehensive interpretations, and solutions to issues.
• Handle, operate and manage systems in different contexts, understanding the connections and roles between different parts of the system.
• Implement learning strategies to organise and control one's own professional development and continuing learning requirements.
• Take full responsibility for one's own work, resources utilised, decisions made and accountability for the behaviours, actions, and decisions of others where appropriate.

Furthermore, the qualifying learners will be registered with the HPCSA as Counsellors. Graduates exiting this qualification can perform various psychological functions within primary settings as defined according to the Health Professions Act no 56 of 1974 and subsequent amendments. These include conducting psychological screening, rudimentary assessment, containment, and psychological interventions to prevent and intervene with mental health challenges. Registered Counsellors can also promote psychological well-being and refer where appropriate. The qualification will provide Registered Counsellors with thorough knowledge and applied skills regarding promoting general well-being and preventing mental health difficulties from escalating to severe mental health disorders

Rationale

The need for psychological services to help people with common mental disorders as well as those at risk is thrown into sharp relief. Counselling Psychologists can play an important role in meeting this need given their positioning in the community and their scope of practice regulated by the Professional Board of Psychology under the auspices of the HPCSA.

According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, currently, one (1) in three (3) South Africans will struggle with mental health issues throughout their lifetime. Due to South Africa's context and shortage of trained mental health professionals, the nation is confronted with the reality of many mental health issues escalating to severe issues and mental health disorders. The HPCSA recognised the need for preventative interventions in South Africa in the early 2000's when it launched the category of Registered Counsellors. The purpose of this registration category was to mitigate the escalation and progression of mental health issues to more advanced levels of psychological interventions.

Various South African challenges such as high poverty, high crime rates and psychosocial difficulties require community-level interventions. Trained Registered Counsellors can make a significant impact in South Africa, by providing preventative mental health care to issues which often arise from those challenges. The qualification will address these challenges. The qualification is crucial in providing useful and reliable mental health care in primary settings. The qualification was developed to respond to the needs within the South African context, where proactive mental health care is needed, and reactive mental health care needs to be prevented where possible. Registered Counsellors offer psychological interventions which encourage overall health for individuals, groups, and communities, as well as enhance supportive interpersonal relationships and family systems.

A very small percentage of Bachelor Honours degree in Psychology graduates are accepted into Clinical or Counselling Master's programmes, which are offered by various public higher education institutions in South Africa. On average only eight (8) graduates are accepted per higher education institution, per year, into a Master's degree. The Registered Counsellor category therefore provides graduates with the opportunity to work within the mental health industry without needing to attain a Master's Purpose:

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counselling is to equip learners with the following knowledge and applied skills:

• Providing interventions, preventative counselling, and developmental counselling assistance.
• Providing psychological screening to determine mental health difficulties.
• Conduct proficient psychometric assessments accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for use within the Registered Counsellor's scope of practice.
• Provide containment of distress in individuals.
• Assist and support the return of individuals, families, groups, and communities to previous levels of functioning.
• Provide mental health promotion and psychoeducation where needed.
• Encourage essential psychosocial well-being.
• Work with a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals.
• Refer to suitable mental health professionals and other resources, based on best practice guidelines for the health professions.

The qualification is suited for individuals who wish to work within the mental health field as Registered Counsellors. Working within the profession allows graduates to make psychological services more accessible to the South African population, with a specific focus on preventative interventions that centre on mental health and the promotion of psychological well-being for communities, groups, families, and individuals.

On completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Display and engage with knowledge relating to the Registered Counsellor field.
• Examine, evaluate and process various sources of knowledge.
• Demonstrate comprehension of the complexities and uncertainties involved in methods and procedures regarding unfamiliar problems.
• Exhibit problem-solving skills, by identifying, analysing, and confronting abstract or intricate problems, using systematic knowledge and appropriate methods relevant to the field.
• Identify and confront ethical dilemmas and challenges using critical reflection on ethics in particular contexts.
• Critically review gathered data, synthesis of data, evaluation, and administration of processes to deliver creative responses to issues or problems.
• Present and communicate to various audiences, demonstrating insight, comprehensive interpretations, and solutions to issues.
• Handle, operate and manage systems in different contexts, understanding the connections and roles between different parts of the system.
• Implement learning strategies to organise and control one's own professional development and continuing learning requirements.
• Take full responsibility for one's own work, resources utilised, decisions made and accountability for the behaviours, actions, and decisions of others where appropriate.

Furthermore, the qualifying learners will be registered with the HPCSA as Counsellors. Graduates exiting this qualification can perform various psychological functions within primary settings as defined according to the Health Professions Act no 56 of 1974 and subsequent amendments. These include conducting psychological screening, rudimentary assessment, containment, and psychological interventions to prevent and intervene with mental health challenges. Registered Counsellors can also promote psychological well-being and refer where appropriate. The qualification will provide Registered Counsellors with thorough knowledge and applied skills regarding promoting general well-being and preventing mental health difficulties from escalating to severe mental health disorders

Rationale

The need for psychological services to help people with common mental disorders as well as those at risk is thrown into sharp relief. Counselling Psychologists can play an important role in meeting this need given their positioning in the community and their scope of practice regulated by the Professional Board of Psychology under the auspices of the HPCSA.

According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, currently, one (1) in three (3) South Africans will struggle with mental health issues throughout their lifetime. Due to South Africa's context and shortage of trained mental health professionals, the nation is confronted with the reality of many mental health issues escalating to severe issues and mental health disorders. The HPCSA recognised the need for preventative interventions in South Africa in the early 2000's when it launched the category of Registered Counsellors. The purpose of this registration category was to mitigate the escalation and progression of mental health issues to more advanced levels of psychological interventions.

Various South African challenges such as high poverty, high crime rates and psychosocial difficulties require community-level interventions. Trained Registered Counsellors can make a significant impact in South Africa, by providing preventative mental health care to issues which often arise from those challenges. The qualification will address these challenges. The qualification is crucial in providing useful and reliable mental health care in primary settings. The qualification was developed to respond to the needs within the South African context, where proactive mental health care is needed, and reactive mental health care needs to be prevented where possible. Registered Counsellors offer psychological interventions which encourage overall health for individuals, groups, and communities, as well as enhance supportive interpersonal relationships and family systems.

A very small percentage of Bachelor Honours degree in Psychology graduates are accepted into Clinical or Counselling Master's programmes, which are offered by various public higher education institutions in South Africa. On average only eight (8) graduates are accepted per higher education institution, per year, into a Master's degree. The Registered Counsellor category therefore provides graduates with the opportunity to work within the mental health industry without needing to attain a Master's degree.

In addition, local communities considered to be 'at risk' throughout South Africa also benefit from this registration category. Most people in South African communities do not have the financial means to afford advanced levels of psychological assistance.

Studies showed that only 18.7% of the South African population has medical aid.

Furthermore, even if individuals could afford to pay the rates of mental health professionals such as psychologists, only 5,708 psychologists exist in South Africa for a population of around 55 million people. These statistics show the limited availability of advanced levels of psychological assistance in South Africa

The South African National Development Plan 2030 adopted by parliament in 2012 states that statutory services for people with mental health problems and people living with disabilities need well-conceived state and community interventions. Complex social problems require professional interventions to deal with the symptoms and underlying causes of social pressures, most evident in schools, workplaces, and neighbourhoods and systematic attention is required to deal with these issues.

Exacerbating this need is a fresh understanding of the critical relationship between physical and mental health. Each influences the other in profound ways. It is now a fact of human science that physical ailments increase the risk of mental illness manifestations in individuals, while the presence of a mental illness increases the risk of physical ailments occurring. Thus, being able to integrate mental health care into primary-level services, such as increasing the accessibility of individuals to the services of Registered Counsellors, is likely to reduce healthcare costs in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa.

The collaborative care of both mental health and physical health at primary levels has been proven to reduce overall healthcare costs in developed countries. While the incorporation of mental health care services at primary levels has been a part of the guidance given by the World Health Organisation's Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2020), this transformation has been slow. In 2013, South Africa adopted the Mental Health Care Act (No. 17, 2002), which focuses on human rights, dignity, and vulnerable populations. The qualification will incorporate mental health care into primary settings, to strengthen the abilities of primary settings to provide mental health care support and to advocate for mental health and the prevention of mental health disorders. Despite the reforms introduced by the Mental Health Care Act (No. 17, 2002), the National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2013-2020, published by the South African Department of Health in 2013 highlights several difficulties which South Africa still must contend with.

Some of those challenges include the following

• Mental health care is under-resourced when compared to other health categories. This continues even though certain mental health disorders are rated as the third biggest contributors to the burden of disease in South Africa. This third-place ranking is only surpassed by HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
• There is a large disparity in the distribution of mental health providers between provinces in South Africa.
• There is a large amount of stigma associated with mental illness in South Africa, due to the lack of awareness and education around mental health.
• While the integration of mental health care services into primary health care settings is one of the hallmarks of the Mental Health Care Act (No. 17, 2002), this has not translated into practice in primary health care settings. Most of the mental health care provided in primary settings is confined to the management of medication for the mentally ill. It does not integrate the assessment, identification, containment, and treatment of mental health disorders.

To combat some of these challenges, the National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2013-2020 advocates that in resource-constrained and high-risk contexts, mental health promotion and prevention initiatives which target key developmental stages can assist in breaking the cycle of poverty and mental ill-health through improving resilience in the context of widespread risk. There is an increasing body of evidence on the efficacy of mental health promotion and prevention interventions that target these.

The training offered through this qualification is in direct response to the current needs and demands within the South African higher education and mental health landscapes outlined above. Well-trained Registered Counsellors are required to meet community needs and the South African population at large. of the communities, mental health legislation and the South African population at large. Answering those needs can be achieved through implementing professional preventative interventions and the promotion of general well-being which fall within the Registered Counsellor's scope of practice.

The qualification will address these needs by striving to educate for a better world through the training and development of Registered Counsellors who are change-makers. This is done through producing high-quality graduates who blend skill, critical thinking, and creativity to be responsive to the needs of society leading to positive change

The qualification will address the growing demands from stakeholders to employ Registered Counsellors and applicants wanting to become Registered Counsellors.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution's Institutional RPL is appropriately aligned in accordance with National Higher Education Policies published by the Council on Higher Education (CHE, 2016) and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA, 2019). RPL aims to overcome potential barriers to admission, or registration for higher education qualifications for those who do not have the formal prerequisites, particularly in respect of past unfair discrimination regarding educational opportunities, while still protecting the quality standard of higher education qualifications. The institution is committed to applying fair and equitable RPL processes that recognise and assess the lifelong learning, prior knowledge and skill of an applicant gained through formal and non-formal knowledge and training, and/or work experience, in the field for which RPL is being sought.

RPL for access

• Admission into a qualification: Evidence of other forms of prior learning is evaluated for equivalence against the minimum entrance requirements of a qualification.

RPL for credits

In accordance with the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, learners must complete at least all the required credits at the exit level of a qualification. Module credit or RPL for module advanced standing/exemption cannot be granted in the final year of qualification or for any exit-level qualification.

RPL for exemption

• RPL for advanced standing/module exemption is not envisaged for the qualification. As such, only RPL for admission into the qualification will be considered for this qualification.
• The HPCSA's Professional Board of Psychology does not permit CAT or RPL for module exemption for the following professional psychology programme:
• Learners are required to register as Learner Registered Counsellors at the outset of the professional programmes and are required to complete them in their entirety, including all Practicum requirements.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Psychology, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Psychology, NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 126 credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 126 Credits

• Research Methodology, 16 Credits.
• The Theory of Developmental Psychology and Abnormal Behaviour, 16 Credits.
• Applied Community Counselling Interventions, 16 Credits.
• Applied Counselling Modalities A, 16 Credits.
• Applied Counselling Modalities B, 16 Credits.
• Applied Psychometric Methods and Assessment, 16 Credits.
• Research Project, 30 Credits.

1. Ethically conduct rudimentary psychological screening and psychometric assessment, utilising HPCSA-certified psychometric tests, within the scope of practice of the Registered Counsellor, and refer where appropriate.
2. Conduct supportive counselling interventions in a primary healthcare setting within diverse and multicultural settings to improve mental health and general well-being, as well as the prevention and promotion of psychosocial health and community-based care.
3. Provide community-based psychological support to groups, families, and individuals within the community.
4. Work within a multidisciplinary team to provide developmental and preventive counselling services based on best practice guidelines, report writing and providing clients with feedback.
5. Design, conduct, monitor, and manage appropriate counselling and psychoeducational interventions within a primary setting.
6. Conduct valid and reliable research in community settings.
7. Demonstrate specialist knowledge, insight, and skills in the discipline of Psychology at a preventative and promotional level.
8. Demonstrate knowledge, insight, and skills into the nature of abnormal behaviour.

The following Associated Assessment Criteria are assessed in an integrated manner across all the Exit Level Outcomes

• Display and engage with knowledge relating to the Registered Counsellor field.
• Examine, evaluate and process various sources of knowledge.
• . Demonstrate comprehension of the complexities and uncertainties involved in methods and procedures regarding unfamiliar problems.
• . Exhibit problem-solving skills, identifying, analysing, and confronting abstract or intricate problems, using systematic knowledge and appropriate methods relevant to the field.
• Identify and confront ethical dilemmas and challenges using critical reflection on ethics in particular contexts.
• Critically review gathered data, synthesis of data, evaluation, and administration of processes to deliver creative responses to issues or problems.
• Present and communicate to a various audience, demonstrating insight, comprehensive interpretations, and solutions to issues.
• Handle, operate and manage systems in different contexts, understanding the connections and roles between different parts of the system.
• Implement learning strategies to organise and control one's own professional development and continuing learning requirements.
• Take full responsibility for one's own work, resources utilised, decisions made and accountability for the behaviours, actions, and decisions of others where appropriate.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

Integrated assessment allows for the assessment of the learner's ability to integrate the theory, together with a practical demonstration of skills and reflection on their demonstrated competence. Integrated assessment is compatible with and supports the institution's unique educational philosophy that focuses on the development of learners' academically robust knowledge base, their applied skills, and their ability to be self-reflexive. Integrated assessments include, but are not limited to, case studies, role-play activities, essays as well as individual and group presentations.

Formative Assessments

Formative assessment is an integral part of each module within the programme's design and exemplifies one of the strengths of the teaching and learning approach. Formative assessment is designed to feed into further learning and is particularly important for the learning process. Formative assessments aim to support, inform, and direct learning throughout the learning process. The focus of formative assessments is to enhance learning rather than to judge learning.

A range of formal, non-formal, and informal formative assessment procedures are used to focus teaching and learning to improve learner success. Learners are provided with comprehensive feedback for all formative assessment tasks to become more effective learners, with a view to improving learner achievement and guiding their instruction. When formative assessment is formal, results are recorded and count towards promotion marks. A formative assessment component should count toward no less than 40% and no more than 60% of the overall grade of a given module. Formative assessment includes (but is not limited to) projects, reports, essays, and literature reviews. etc.

Learners will engage in a range of formative learning activities for which they will receive a grade (e.g., projects, essays, literature reviews, case studies, and role-play activities).

Formative assessment tasks include the following examples

• Awareness-Raising Plan
• Case Study.
• Concept Paper
• Creative Presentation
• Critical Reflection
• Critical Review and Evaluation
• Essays.
• Argumentative Essay
• Reflective Essay.
• Intervention Project Plan:
• Literature Review.
• Module Engagement.
• Needs Assessment Proposal.
• Needs Assessment Report.
• Psycho-Educational Group Plan.
• Reflective Writing.
• Research Proposal.
• Role-Play

Types of Summative Assessments include

• Final Written Examinations.
• Oral and Poster Presentations.

The qualification design purposefully tests learning by utilising other forms of assessment rather than an examination approach. An examination form of assessment is applied within a summative assessment process and occurs at the conclusion of a module with the intention of determining a grade for the learner. The ongoing assessment of learning is important, and the generation of a summative examination grade may at times be insufficient where the monitoring and evaluation of the learning journey of the learner is paramount.

In line with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the institution endeavours to ensure that all assessments are:

• Valid: Elements of competencies and types of evidence are defined to ensure that all assessments are valid and are undertaken by qualified assessors.
• Reliable: Assessments are conducted using structured assessment processes to ensure consistency of approach.
• Fair: Structured approach provides for a fair, objective assessment and allows for educator and learner feedback, and re-assessment if required.
• Flexible: Assessment processes can be adjusted to suit a learner's special needs (e.g., concession requirements for physical impairments).