Kgothatso Sedibe

For several years I have focused my career path and academic pursuits in Social Science studies and Psychology. I have always had the desire to work in the counselling field because I have a passion to help people by assisting individuals with daily challenges. It brings me joy when I connect with people and being present by listening to individuals’ concerns and needs. It is my passion to use my empathy and compassion to offer support in challenging seasons that an individual may be facing. My desire is to bring hope and encouragement to individuals’ lives. I enjoy teaching about mental illness and mental health that affects every human being, diversely. My goal is to give individuals tools and skills to manage their challenges, work together with individuals in a holistic approach in order to improve individuals’ wellbeing and achieve their positive desired goals. I have completed a Bachelor of Applied Social Science Majoring in Counselling and Psychology in 2021, and soon to embark my journey of an honours degree in psychology. I have acquired a certificate in basic counselling for HIV/AIDS Care and Counselling that taught me the background of HIV/AIDS, learnt the great impact the illness has towards individuals’ emotional and mental state that might affect our daily ability to function in our homes and in the society. I believe it’s important as counsellors to destigmatise the still existing stigma notion about HIV in our societies. I also learnt and gained in-depth knowledge about psychology and empathetic counselling from the Humanitas Counselling Course. My personal philosophies are rooted from learning from others, empowering others, and discovering a positive perspective from life circumstances. With a genuine and nurturing nature, I possess the primary skills needed in my counselling field, including compassionate counselling which I learnt in my time of volunteering at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) organisation. As a lay counsellor, I cherish the time I interacted with individuals, giving counselling and containing individuals experiencing and living with HIV/AIDS, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Stress, Trauma/Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic and Anxiety Disorder, Loss and Grief, Suicide Ideations and Active Suicide, Cutting and self-harm, Minors and Teenagers experiencing Bullying, Physical and Sexual Abuse, Romantic Relationships and Family Issues, Debt and Poverty Related Stress, Burnout, and Students going through Personal and Academic Stress. As a Wellness Counsellor Student, I’m passionate to work with Teenagers struggling with Substance Abuse, Bullying and Peer Pressure among Teenagers, giving Career Guidance, individuals who went through Trauma and experiencing PTSD, Loss, Grief and Bereavement, offer Emotional Supportive Counselling, and Self-esteem Development. “We don’t achieve greatness through suppressing; we achieve greatness through processing.” - Dr. Caroline Leaf