Service delivery at Itsoseng psychology clinic : a programme evaluation

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the service delivery function of the Itsoseng psychology clinic through investigating the demographic profile of the client population that Itsoseng clinic served in terms of age, gender and presenting problems during the period January 2005 to November 2006. This study took the form of a limited programme evaluation using descriptive statistics as primary method, based on an analysis of archival records from the period January 2005 to November 2006. Community psychology was used as primary theoretical framework to situate this study within the larger local and international debate on client profiles and service delivery of university psychology clinics. The results indicate that most of the clients who attended the Itsoseng psychology clinic during 2005 and 2006 fell between the ages of seven and 30, and presented with the following problems in order of prevalence: learning difficulties, relationship problems, depression, career concerns and HIV-related issues. More women (53.1%) than men (46.9%) attended the clinic over the two years combined. The results of this evaluation could prove to be useful in informing strategic decisions regarding marketing the clinic, offering relevant training content to the students as well as recruiting other professionals for whom a need is indicated.