Counseling in Zimbabwe

This chapter considers counseling in Zimbabwe, which is a developing country with a recent history of major sociopolitical transition. It begins with a discussion of school and other types of counseling. Next, the chapter presents counseling approaches and techniques, highlighting the importance of livelihoods counseling. It then talks about counselor education and training for professional and indigenous counselors. This is followed by a discussion on diversity issues and the future prospects for counseling in Zimbabwe. The majority of Zimbabwe Open University counseling students work in the civil service, such as in schools and hospitals, and thus are not community counselors. The professionalization of counseling in Zimbabwe is still in its infancy, and most counseling is performed in community settings by family and socially networked others. The majority of counselors in Zimbabwe are paraprofessionals with minimal training. Counselor supervision training is an area of great need in Zimbabwe.