Challenges and changes in teaching person-centred counselling to social work learners via distance education

Abstract

The Department of Social Work at the University of South Africa (UNISA) is particularly challenged in teaching teach Social Work, particularly the practical skills, to learners countrywide. Apart from the distances involved that pose a challenge, the increase in student numbers for practical modules, which range from 3 926 first-year students to 919 fourth-year students in 2011, change is also inevitable. This article focuses on the challenges of, and changes in, teaching a person-centred approach (PCA) in developing the counselling skills of social work learners at UN1S.4 as part of the quest to be leanercentred in open distance-learning. The author concludes with some recommendations in this regard.