- The health department created a new category of mental health worker in 2003 called a registered counsellor.
- There are around 2 500 of these specialists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
- Registered counsellors can provide short-term talk therapy such as trauma and grief counselling. They can also screen people for mental health conditions and then refer them to psychiatrists and psychologists. At schools, they can also give career guidance or screen learners’ learning abilities.
- Read the full script here.
- READ MORE: An overlooked workforce: How these mental health paramedics can ease depression & anxiety in SA
Yolanda Mdzeke is a multimedia reporter at Bhekisisa.
Zano Kunene is a health journalist at Bhekisisa.
