A pool of counsellors will be put in place by the Social Welfare ministry to cater for the increasing demands of counselling in the country.
Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr. Josefa Koroivueta says this is being done, as they are noticing the increase in referral cases from various social services.
Dr Koroivueta says this was evident after Cyclone Winston in 2016.
“After TC Winston we found that we didn’t have enough counsellors to cater for the needs and I think that it’s an opportunity for us to stock take and rebuild.There are general counselling and there are also specialized counselling areas like for Child Services for children and you need to set criteria on how they should be screened.”
Koroivueta says the ministry is also working on putting together an umbrella organization to oversee the counselling service and ensure that it’s regulated.
He adds there is also a need for a roundtable discussions with relevant agencies on how best they can move the counselling services in the country forward.
