Dr Mazibuko reflects with wisdom on the role of Student Counselling and Support during Women’s Month

Dr Matjhabedi Mazibuko & Qhawekazi Memani – 23 August 2021

“The work is not for oneself. Kill the spirit of ‘self’ and do not live above your people, but with them. If you rise above them, take somebody with you” Charlotte Mannya Maxeke.

In Student Counselling our priority is to ensure emotional and mental health wellness of all that we are in contact with. Students often come to SCS because they are in distress for a myriad of reasons, such as academic concerns, psychological, social, personal, economic, physical, health, vocational and spiritual.  Our role in SCS is to assist students with academic concerns and to build curiosity and academic skills needed to be the best students possible.  With regard to students with psychosocial as well as personal concerns, we assist them to clarify their goals and address barriers to reach their goals.

As this is a month marked for celebrating women, I will direct my role and the role of SCS to supporting female students. It is an undisputed fact in our field that counselling services are amongst the most essential requirements that must be provided to female students at a university, as they are faced with challenges emanating from social relationships, balancing their academic work with care and support for their families as well as mostly being in the receiving end of gender-based violence.

The female students’ counselling needs are the most important educational aspects that need to be carefully considered for them to make it and be competitive in academia. This is of particular importance in assisting the female student to attain healthy psychological compatibility and sharpening aptitudes and abilities to reach the maximum academic success.

As Alzibadei and Alkhatib, 2000: 44 reflect, that counselling needs to constitute the core of the individual’s psychological formation as it reflects her personality and drives her to behaviour that leads to her satisfaction or gratification, she lives most of her life in order to satisfy her needs, reduce her tensions and achieve her goals. The woman’s month requires of me to strengthen enablement and empowerment of other women especially the female student, to highlight and ignite in them the passion to work hard and fulfil their goals whilst not leaving others behind.

Our duty in Student Counselling is to motivate female students to reach their academic goal; to strengthen them through therapy, to assert themselves amidst the challenges, like true daughters of Mme Charlotte Maxeke who dedicated her life amongst others, to education for all. She became the first black African woman to get a degree, made it her mission to share her knowledge and enable children to learn through building a school in Evaton.  Above all we inculcate in our students the notion of assisting one another.

Dr Matjhabedi Mazibuko’s educational journey for further studies began at Tshiya Teachers College where she received her Teacher’s certificate, she proceeded to VISTA University for a BAEd and BA honours in Psychology. Shen then went on to UJ for a BEd in Educational Psychology and a Masters’ degree in Psychology. Dr Matjhabedi Mazibuko also obtained an Advanced Diploma in Including learners with special needs, with distinction from the University of Pretoria. She then went on to complete a management program at Wits University. In 2019 and 2020 respectively she obtained Advanced Diploma in Mediation  Cum Laude and a Foundational Course in Neuropsychology with distinction. She obtained her doctoral degree in Psychology with specialisation in Inclusive Education from UNISA.