A Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Black Female Volunteer Lay Counsellors from Marginalised Backgrounds in Gauteng!

Abstract

Within the South African context, Volunteer Lay Counsellors (VLCs) play a vital role in providing mental health care. Whilst Black female VLCs from marginalised backgrounds play an essential role in providing these services, there is a paucity of research in understanding their experiences. This study utilised a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Black female VLCs from marginalised backgrounds in Gauteng. The researcher used non-probability purposive convenience sampling to recruit four participants who volunteered at a non-profit organisation (NPO) in Gauteng. The study collected data through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Insight was provided by this research into participants’ experiences of counselling from a position of their intersectionality to those who embody different intersectional identities. This was done by locating the research within the work of intersectional theorists Crenshaw (1989, 1991), McCall (2005), Tamale (2020), and Petsko and colleagues (2022). In keeping with this, the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method allowed for an in-depth exploration of participants’ unique experiences through double hermeneutic interpretations. The themes illustrated that participants were motivated by the desperate need for access to mental healthcare in their socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. In addition, volunteering satisfied the prospects of fulfilling their career aspirations lost because of their subjection to gendered, racialised, and class oppression. Thirdly, themes highlighted how clients’ race, class, and gender impacted participants’ counselling experiences. Lastly, themes highlighted the psychological impact of counselling on participants and how helpful coping mechanisms developed from the survival of intersectional oppression and organisational training and support helped mitigate these psychological consequences. The provided understanding of participants’ experiences is essential for both praxis and policy within the area of VLC in South Africa.