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Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee appointed Evaluator for national counselling programmes

08 May 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied

Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee, Director of Student Counselling and Development (SCD) at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently appointed as an Evaluator Counselling Psychologist for Higher Educational Institution and Internship Site Programmes under the Accreditations and Quality Assurance Committee of the Professional Board for Psychology within the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

This appointment will enable Dr Dunn-Coetzee to contribute directly towards boosting the quality of counselling psychology training and internship programmes across South Africa. “The role entails visiting South African higher education institutions (HEIs) with counselling psychology internships and evaluating whether their internships align with the requirements of the HPCSA,” she explained. “This appointment strengthens the SCD’s internship and aligns perfectly with my current role.”

Motivated by her belief in the profound impact of counselling psychologists on society, Dr Dunn-Coetzee emphasised the importance of providing quality internships. "My role can enhance relationships between rotational sites in South Africa and assist sites where some development might be needed."

She outlined the criteria for assessing internship sites and highlighted the anticipated contributions to the development of counselling psychology training programmes nationwide. “The evaluations create a space for discussion, learning, and development,” she explained. “I envision that an Evaluator role can positively impact the quality of training and support offered to counselling psychology interns.”

Dr Dunn-Coetzee also acknowledged the challenges ahead, particularly regarding the diverse landscape of HEIs across South Africa. “The amount of administration, financial resources, and logistical resources needed to host internships is significant,” she noted. “I believe that this might be a challenge.”

Looking to the future, she expressed her hopes for more internship opportunities and expanded training programmes. “I would like to see more internship opportunities being established for counselling psychology interns,” she said. “At SCD, we have learned valuable lessons that will strengthen my role in achieving these goals.”

The UFS congratulates Dr Dunn-Coetzee on her appointment, which we are sure will herald a new era of excellence in counselling psychology training, promising a brighter future for aspiring psychologists across South Africa.

News Archive

UFS to get transformation plan for African context

2005-02-04

The University of the Free State is to draft a comprehensive Transformation Plan to give impetus to the process of making the UFS an inclusive, non-racial, non-sexist, multi-cultural and multi-lingual university within the African context.

Delivering a keynote speech at the Official Opening of the UFS today, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the Transformation Plan would include aspects such as employment equity, institutional culture, academic excellence, and other elements.

He added that another aspect to be considered in the academic element of the Transformation Plan was the issue of the African context, of a university for Africa, in Africa, of the African university.

According to Prof Fourie, the best way of understanding the role of the UFS in Africa and for Africa, is for the university to become a truly engaged university that bridges the gap between the institution and the community. He said the UFS had for more than 10 years been at the forefront of transformation in higher education, and had gone through several phases of transformation. However the UFS needed to embark on a new phase of transformation which would be guided by a comprehensive Transformation Plan.

The Transformation Plan would be the result of an inclusive consultation process involving staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders. It would also be based on a review of current policies and practices.
The process would be led by a Transformation Plan Team, co-ordinated by the Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, Prof Teuns Verschoor, and the Vice-Rector: Student Affairs, Dr Ezekiel Moraka.

“Obviously we should also not underestimate the complexities of transformation and of building a new society, given our complex history and the legacies of poverty, underdevelopment, colonialism and apartheid.

“We must consider support for staff involved in these transformation steps, including appropriate staff development, capacity to support transformation processes, as well as flexible and supportive administrative practices,” Prof Fourie said.

He said the UFS management understood the urgency of transformation in the current democratic South Africa and the changing global environment and appealed to staff and students to participate fully in drafting the Transformation Plan for the UFS.

“Transformation at the UFS has been and will continue to be a process with many facets that seek to enhance excellence in all spheres of university life, and is much more than merely ensuring employment equity,” he said.

Prof Fourie said: “We have reached a historic moment in the life of the UFS where innovative thinking and bold steps yet again are necessary because failure is not an option.”

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
4 February 2005

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