Project Description
The course was designed for representatives from the Government of PNG, employees of universities and the NGO and civil society sector, who are involved in the provision of counselling services in PNG. It built on the success of the 2018/19 Australia Awards PNG ‘Graduate Certificate in Counselling and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment Program’ delivered by Griffith University.
The purpose of this course was to train a core cohort of participants involved in the provision of counselling services in PNG, developing the personal attributes and technical skills to assess and treat patients. The course developed participants counselling and training knowledge while building core capabilities and applying these to the cultural, religious, government, health, education, law, justice and service delivery contexts in PNG.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
The program included 25 participants in various positions, including Directors, Social Workers, Nurses, Counsellors and Chaplins. The Participants’ came from a number of universities in Papua New Guinea as well as institutes such as the Pacific Institute of Leadership.
The program has had ongoing and indirect benefits across through PNG, enabling the participants to improve the quality of counselling provided in the community.
Outcomes to Date
Each participants needed to complete an Award Project on completion of the course to implement their learnings from the program.
Projects have included:
– Making it safer for the victims of Gender-based violence/Domestic Violence: Women and Children in Papua New Guinea.Training of counsellors in Safe Houses.
– Investigative Counselling Training the training of student peer counsellors to support student up-take of counselling services.
– Capacity building for Welfare Officers within The ABG DCD developing basic counselling knowledge and skills.
– The development of basic counselling Knowledge, skills and competences in Health Care Workers in Kerowagi District of Simbu Province.
Project Significance
25 counselling sector workers built their personal and professional capacities through this program, which provided training in:
– Counselling: theory and skills – Family and Relationships.
– Hidden victims: Counselling and family violence – Child protection and youth support, family and sexual violence.
– Counselling: Advanced practice an ethics – Drugs, alcohol and gambling, disaster and trauma response.