DESIGNATIONS AND SCOPE OF PRACTICE
The ASCHP is a SAQA recognized professional body with designations listed on the National Qualifications Framework, NQF Act 67 of 2008.
The following designations, aligned to qualifications, are available at the ASCHP: Designations and competencies
Candidate for Membership
NFQ Registration Number:
Awaiting designation
NQF Level:
NA
Supportive Counsellor
NFQ Registration Number:
645
NQF Level:
4
Hollistic Counsellor
NFQ Registration Number:
646
NQF Level:
5
Wellness Counsellor
NFQ Registration Number:
895
NQF Level:
7
Specialist Wellness Counsellor
NFQ Registration Number:
896
NQF Level:
8
The ASCHP is the only recognised professional body in the domain of wellbeing that covers the modalities of ethnomedicine (folk and traditional herbalism), counselling, lifestyle management and screening. The value for you as a member to belong to a recognized professional body is set out as follows:
A PB provides: “The recognition of PB will contribute to strengthening social responsiveness and accountability within the professions and promoting pride in association for all profession.” Joe Samuels (CEO, SAQA). Benefits include:
Professional status, practice guidelines & scope of practice
Positioned to apply for indemnity insurance
Occupational recognition in the public eye
Continuous Professional Development (CPD’s)
Networking with other counsellors and income opportunity
Learning pathways for further study
Career potential and fulfilment (job opportunities)
The following designations are now registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF Act 69 of 2008)
Supportive Counsellors
Who work as helpers in counselling settings and are qualified as counsellors on at least NQF level 4. They normally work under supervision in an institutional setting such as a church, school, clinic or hospital, police station as trauma counsellors and similar settings.
Holistic Counsellors
Who practice integrative counselling and are qualified at least on NQF level 5 and 6.
Wellness Counsellor
Who work using a systems approach to counselling and are qualified as counsellors on at least NQF level 7.
Specialist Wellness Counsellor
Who work using a systems approach to counselling and are qualified as counsellors on at least NQF level 8+.
INDTRODUCTION: THE WELLNESS HEALTHCARE CONCEPT
Wellness is a holistic approach to counselling and healthcare that is globally very popular. AquickGoogle search will reveal the popularity of wellness coaches to work in various settings such as
hospitals, clinics, schools, wellness centres and private practices. The National Wellness Institute promotes Six Dimensions of wellness: emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual. Addressing all six dimensions of wellness in our lives buildsa holistic sense of wellness and fulfilment. This in ligend to the definition of health, as definedbythe World Health Organization (WHO), as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-beingand not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”1
This requires interdisciplinary systems training in the following way:
Emotional, and Intellectual, – based on counselling and psychology
Occupational, – based on management
Physical, – based on natural medicine that includes lifestyle counselling and herbalismSocial, – relationship counselling
and Spiritual.- involving meaning and purpose and connectivity.
Description
The occupational dimension recognises personal satisfaction and enrichment in one’s life throughwork. At the centre of occupational wellness is the premise that occupational development is relatedto one’s attitude about one’s work. Traveling a path toward your occupational wellness, you’ll contribute your unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that is both personally meaningful andrewarding.
The physical dimension recognises the need for regular physical activity. Physical developmentencourages learning about diet and nutrition while discouraging the use of tobacco, drugs andexcessive alcohol consumption. Optimal wellness is met through the combination of good exerciseand eating habits.
The social dimension encourages contributing to one’s environment and community. It emphasizesthe interdependence between others and nature
The intellectual dimension recognizes one’s creative, stimulating mental activities. A well personexpands his or her knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing his or her gifts with others
The spiritual dimension recognises our search for meaning and purpose in human existence. It includes the development of a deep appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe.
The emotional dimension recognises awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings. Emotional wellness includes the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about one’s self andlife. It includes the capacity to manage one’s feelings and related behaviours including the realistic assessment of one’s limitations, development of autonomy, and ability to cope effectively with stress.
Conclusion
The conventional biomedical model does not make provision for such a comprehensive approachwhich is a pity because the human person is an integrated whole in which all aspects of existenceareentangled and mutually influences one another. Hence, our contention is that real healing requiresatotal approach. Important to note that it does not interfere nor repudiate biomedical science as it isparadigmatic different and serves as an adjunct support to help and train people practice self-careWellness is a professional occupation that requires academic training, but it is a minimalist approachthat complements modern medicine as a scientific modality that incorporate the natural healingsystem in a holistic health promoting way. As such it is not a disease centred approach but a healthpromoting person centred approach.
We believe that a wellness programme can contribute to decreased need for drugs of surgery, andfoster self-care by bringing awareness to people of high level wellness and hope for healing inthecontext of the tremendous escalation of chronic lifestyle diseases in modern society.
1 World Health Organization.Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19–22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. InGrad, Frank P. (2002). “The Preamble of the Constitution of the World Health Organization”. Bulletin of theWorld Health Organization. 80 (12): 982.
The level of counselling is that of primary health care. This includes individual counselling, group counselling and marriage counselling, life style coaching, counselling for problems, trauma counselling, drug and alcohol abuse counselling, HIV/AIDS counselling, counselling for gambling addiction, bereavement counselling, hospice counselling and support and assistance in human development.
The Wellness Counsellor is competent to lend comprehensive counselling support towards the improvement of the quality of life by assisting client’s in resolving conflicts, improving relationships, sorting out general problems, coping with life’s challenges and finding inner peace.
Wellness Counsellors are required to refer clients to medical and psychological professionals if they identify needs that require specialized intervention such as mood, personality and anxiety disorders and health related problems that require medical attention.
Scope of Practice
The counsellor is bound to a specific scope of practice which is comprehensive but excludes psychotherapy, social work, medical health work and occupational therapy.
The generic scope of a life skills practice is that of wellness which includes, but is not limited to, providing support in interpersonal social relationships, spiritual growth, marital relationships, parental relationships, health related issues such as stress management, lifestyle management in prevention of chronic diseases, victim empowerment, domestic violence, trauma debriefing, household planning, HIV/AIDS, counselling, workplace adaptation, risk taking, study methods, management of anxiety and depression, substance abuse, support of vulnerable people, meeting cultural issues and diversity in the workplace, improvement of employment prospects, support to people with disabilities, mental preparation for retirement, and any other general problem that people encounter in day to day living.
Holistic Counsellors work on primary health care level, and are as such obliged to terminate counselling and refer clients to a professional (doctor, psychologist, social worker or psychiatrist) where their counselling, with reference to possible pathology or dysfunction, falls outside the scope of their practice.
Counselling competencies within scope of practice include the ability…
To apply interpersonal skills by entering into a helping relationship.
To apply counselling tools and techniques to assist, support, guide, debrief and encourage a client in need.
To apply knowledge of health and wellness in a counselling context in order to screen for a health profile.
Identify and solve problems to make responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking in the counselling process.
Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organization or community.
Organize and manage him/herself and his/her activities responsibly and ethically with reference to scope of practice and ethical code of the profession.
Organize and manage a practice by keeping routine records of counselling interventions according to the work context.
Collect, organize and critically evaluate information in screening a client to determine needs and recommend appropriate interventions.
Communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
Make use of science and technology in maintaining records in a database.
To manage a counselling consultation with reference to record keeping, confidentiality, ethical codes, legal requirements and professional conduct within own scope of practice.
To apply communication and numeracy skills in order to be able to analyse, interpret and evaluate information in a counselling context.
Demonstrate cultural, religious, gender, social standing and language sensitivity across a range of counselling contexts in applying knowledge of interpersonal relationships to enhance the effectiveness of the counselling process.
Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognizing that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.
Demonstrate an understanding of the integration between human behaviour and health and wellness in terms of short term interventions and potential long term effects.
Reflect on and explore a variety of strategies to learn more effectively in reflecting on own practice.
Participate as a responsible citizen in the life of local, national and global communities in counselling within a structured environment.