The University of the Free State (UFS) has strengthened its commitment to holistic student wellness through the appointment of
Dr Christie Gogo Bazamile van Zyl as Spiritual Support Practitioner within Student Counselling and Development (SCD), a division of the Health and Wellness Centre (HWC).
The appointment reflects the university’s ongoing efforts to respond to the evolving needs of its diverse student population and to provide culturally relevant support services that recognise indigenous spirituality and ancestral callings.
According to
Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee, Director of the
UFS Health and Wellness Centre, student demographics over the past two decades have highlighted the need for counselling services that are not only representative in terms of staffing, but also responsive to students’ lived experiences and worldviews.
“The changes in the student demographics at the UFS over the last two decades require student counselling to not only be demographically representative of staffing, but it is also important that the worldviews and experiential realities of the students at the institution are taken into consideration,” says Dr Dunn-Coetzee.
Responding to a growing need
The HWC’s Student Counselling and Development division provides a range of psychological, developmental, and emergency support services to registered students across the university. While these services remain comprehensive, Dr Dunn-Coetzee explains that many interventions have traditionally been rooted in Western approaches, creating a need for additional support that reflects African indigenous perspectives.
Over the past two years, the division has experienced a notable increase in students seeking assistance with spiritual matters from an indigenous African perspective.
“The number of students needing assistance while experiencing an ancestral calling has been increasing per campus since 2024,” says Dr Dunn-Coetzee.
She explains that students navigating ancestral callings often encounter emotional, psychological, and academic challenges that require specialised support.
“Although this might present as mental health issues, it necessitates specialised skills and training, which is not within the scope of a psychologist, registered counsellor, or a social worker.”
Dr Dunn-Coetzee adds that spiritual support forms an important component to the university’s holistic and student-centred approach to wellness.
“Including spiritual support as part of the service offering of the Health and Wellness Centre contributes to the holistic, student-centred approach we have towards our students.”
Experienced practitioner joins student support team
Gogo Bazamile brings extensive expertise to the role. She previously piloted the
Indigenous Healthcare Advisory Service at the University of Cape Town and has 11 years of experience in indigenous wellness practice. She is also a PhD candidate in Healing Science, Facilitation and Psychology, where her research focuses on the effects of psychospiritual stress on mental health within higher education settings.
Dr Dunn-Coetzee believes her appointment will significantly enhance student support services.
“I envision her role as holistically assisting our students struggling to decide how to navigate their callings because their families no longer believe in indigenous wellness systems, rooted in ancestral veneration.”
Her responsibilities will include providing psychoeducation and guidance to students, engaging with families, supporting staff training, contributing to policy development, and expanding the service across the Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa, and South campuses.
Advancing an inclusive wellness model
Through this appointment, the UFS continues to advance an inclusive wellness model that recognises and supports the diverse spiritual, cultural, and personal realities of its students.