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School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613759083642880 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Everett, Sarah Lynn |
| author2 | Kagee, A. |
| author_browse | Everett, Sarah Lynn Kagee, A. |
| author_facet | Kagee, A. Everett, Sarah Lynn |
| author_sort | Everett, Sarah Lynn |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134223 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:14.564Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134223 School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa Everett, Sarah Lynn Kagee, A. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Everett, S. L. 2025. School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/12549e76-d6e0-4307-bd06-0d7e6b2df6c1 Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational system and inherent support structures resulted in the separation of school-based mental health professionals, from whole school communities, to whom they provide both academic and emotional supportive services. In this study, I explored the subjective experiences of high school counsellors during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Western Cape province of South Africa and how their roles were impacted during this unprecedented time in history. Methods: I recruited nine high school counsellors from private schools, using a combination of purposeful, convenience and volunteer sampling methods. Participants were interviewed online between the months of April and August 2023. Interviews were subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis and coded manually as well as by using ATALAS.ti, version 24 software. Data analysis and interpretation was guided by Biddle's Role Theory and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory. Findings: During data analysis, I constructed the following three main themes: (1) the multi-faceted role of school counsellors, (2) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the roles and responsibilities of school counsellors and (3) the challenges and opportunities arising from the pandemic. The participants reported on the variety and combinations of tasks that constitute their role of providing school-based mental health services, such as individual and group counselling, supporting teaching staff and providing preventative, psychoeducational services. Findings highlighted the resilience and adaptability of the high school counsellors who navigated the changes to their methods of service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, with minimal professional support or prior training. The high school counsellors recounted that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a marked increase in the intensity of mental health symptoms was observed in their school communities, leading to prolonged periods of crisis management. However, school counsellors reported that their roles did not change in terms of being responsible for the psycho-social needs within their school communities during the pandemic. Instead, it was the methods that school counsellors used to provide their services that were adapted to ensure the continuity of their service delivery with the increased demand for counselling as the pandemic progressed. Discussion: The need for a systemic approach to school-based psychological services has been highlighted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the multi-layered repercussions on individuals, families, and various institutions both locally and around the globe. School-based mental health professionals were given very little guidance from regulatory bodies in terms of the best practices to support their school communities during the pandemic and did not receive training on how to provide online counselling services prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, there appears to be a need for schools to create policies focusing on the psycho-social safeguarding of students in emergency and/ or crisis situations, in addition to standard practical and physical safety considerations. Future pandemics are inevitable and it is imperative that the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic are documented to ensure plans are in place to better support the next generation in potential periods of crisis. Masters 2025-10-24T06:50:03Z 2025-10-24T06:50:03Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134223 en Stellenbosch University 192 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Everett, Sarah Lynn School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title | School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full | School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_short | School-based Mental Health Professionals' Preparedness and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_sort | school based mental health professionals preparedness and experiences during the covid 19 pandemic in the western cape south africa |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134223 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT everettsarahlynn schoolbasedmentalhealthprofessionalspreparednessandexperiencesduringthecovid19pandemicinthewesterncapesouthafrica |