An exploration of the counselling work experiences of South African trained Advanced Psychiatric Nurses (R212) working in state psychiatric facilities in the Western Cape

Abstract

Since the ground-breaking work of Hildegard Peplau, counselling is an essential competency of Advanced Psychiatric Nurses (APNs) all across the world. In South Africa, the teaching directives of the South African Nursing Council requires students to be competent in a number of therapeutic interventions, including specialised counselling techniques. Counselling is an essential job requirement of APNs in the Western Cape, and is much needed in the Western Cape, which has a high incidence of mental disorders, which cannot be met by psychologists in state psychiatric facilities. If they are properly utilised, APNs can provide counselling services to people who do not have access to these.