Abstract:
The University of Zululand Community Psychology Centre (CPC) is a joint project of the Department of Psychology, Educational Psychology and Industrial Psychology. It was established in response firstly to the University's need to provide relevant training for its post-graduate psychology students and secondly to meet the need within the Zululand community for affordable psychosocial and psycho-educational services. The Centre works in partnership with other local Zululand Mental Health centres. The Centre is accredited with the Professional Board for Psychologists of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). This board ensures that institutions providing psychological services observe ethical codes of conduct and good practice (HPCSA, 2002).
The present research was motivated by the fact that the CPC functioning has never been evaluated in terms of service delivery and relevance. The desire to know whether the CPC serves the purposes for which it was established, and to identify areas that need improvement, is a strong motivation. This helps to identify its viability, effectiveness, and value for the University of Zululand and the community served by the University.
The aims of the study were to evaluate the CPC in terms of clients' perceptions with regard to effectiveness of the centre in meeting their needs and improving their psychological well-being.
An accidental or convenient sample was used. An invitation to volunteer was extended to clients who happened to come for the CPC services. Volunteers completed a questionnaire^ which included a biographical inventory needs analysis questionnaire and RyfTs Scale (1995) of psychological well-being. Participants were pre and post-tested on the variable of psychological well being.
The study concluded that the CPC still serves the purpose for which it was established. It is still relevant to the demand of the community. The results revealed that pre and post testing was associated with a significant improvement in total psychological well-being as with special reference to personal growth and positive relations with others.
Description:
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2006.
