Training lay counsellors in public health: Considerations for social workers, professional counsellors and psychologists

Many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in resource-constrained communities who provide psychosocial services employ lay and paraprofessional counsellors to dispense these services to clients. Yet, selection criteria for such lay persons are highly variable. In the context of low levels of formal education in many communities, education-based criteria are not easily applied. The eligibility of individuals for counsellor training is a matter of considerable importance even though NGO staff may not differentiate between those volunteers or employees who are and are not eligible for training. Also, no screening instruments have been developed to reliably discriminate between individuals who do and do not become effective counsellors. Indeed, decisions about which applicants are and are not trainable are of considerable consequence in sustaining high quality work. A research programme is needed to identify attitudinal and personality markers that may predict success as lay counsellors. In this article specific suggestions are made, including suggestions for practice so that the administrative and human resource needs of NGO's can be balanced with the professional and ethical imperative of recruiting lay counsellors who are trainable and capable of performing counselling tasks with the highest level of professionalism possible despite their lay status.