Bachelor of Psychology Degree

Our Bachelor of Psychology Degree gives you the knowledge and essential practical skills for providing good quality psychological care to people at a primary mental health care level.

The focus is on ethical short-term supportive counselling, psycho-education and psychological assessment with the aim of protecting and promoting psychological wellbeing of individuals and families in the diverse communities of South Africa.

This degree provides a thorough grounding in the knowledge, theory and principles of the profession of Registered Counsellors and research capacity in the methodology and techniques of the psychology field.

Successful graduates will be eligible for admission into a master’s degree in psychology, the social sciences or related fields – both nationally and internationally.

What you can expect

You’ll get an introductory understanding of:

• Psychology, mental health and people within a social context, including personality and developmental paradigms for understanding individual and group behaviour.
• Psychological challenges and models for understanding behaviour and intervention.
• Diversity and cross-cultural dynamics in the South African context.
• How to conduct and report on psychometric assessments.
• To implement the values and principles of ethics in psychology in real-world contexts.

You will also develop:

• Counselling and interpersonal communication skills, including referral and management strategies in accordance with the HPCSA’s guidelines for good professional practice.
• Essential skills to protect and promote psychological well-being and the enhancement of personal functioning.
• Skills to design, implement, monitor and evaluate programmes with a focus on training individuals, families and communities to develop strong, collaborative and supportive partnerships within community contexts.
• Competence in applied planning and intervention within community settings, inclusive of psycho-education, health promotion, applied mental health intervention and community-based care.
• Real-world practical experience through the Practicum component of the programme.
• An aptitude in research design, implementation and evaluation.
• Competence in primary mental status screening and basic psychological assessment.