The experience of implementing a psychology service programme at a Paediatric HIV Clinic

Abstract

The psychology service programme was implemented at the Kalafong Paediatric HIV Clinic. The students from the Department of Psychology from the University of Pretoria were involved. The aim of the study was to explore, explain and describe the experiences of the personnel at the Clinic during the implementation of the programme in terms of an interpretive narrative framework. A qualitative research design was used. The primary source of data collection was through interviews. Interpreting experience took place at Reissman’s five levels of representation and Labov’s six elements for data reduction and interpretation were used. The emerged interpretive categories were presented as questions. The study found that the multidisciplinary team identified the need for psychological intervention, more so during the time when some of the adolescent patients had discovered that they were HIV positive. The patients were struggling to cope with the reality of accepting the diagnosis. The study noted the challenges that were experienced during the implementation, as well as the highlights. Availability of the psychology students seemed to be the greatest challenge as well as the issue of arranging psychological consultations to coincide with the same date for other consultations among other challenges. This study exhibited a mutual feeling that the implementation of the psychology service programme was a good initiative and ought to be continued at the Clinic.