SACAP : Bachelor of Psychology (BPsych)

SACAP : Bachelor of Psychology (BPsych)

SACAP’s BPsych degree is a professional qualification that leads to registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Registered Counsellor.

The BPsych degree empowers you with knowledge and essential “work-ready” counselling and communication skills to provide short-term supportive counselling, psycho-education and psychological assessment for the purpose of protecting and promoting psychological wellbeing with individuals and families in diverse community settings. The BPsych develops a thorough grounding in the knowledge, theory and principles of the profession of psychology and builds high intellectual independence and research capacity in the methodology and techniques of psychology.

At a Glance

Is this course for me?

If you say yes to any of the following points, then the BPsych could just be the perfect fit for you.
Do you?

• Want an HPCSA-accredited qualification to become a Registered Counsellor.
• Have an interest in social transformation and a concern for the needs of people living in South Africa.
• Have a desire to provide accessible psychological services that address a range of psychosocial challenges in diverse community settings.
• Want to gain practical experience as part of your studies to increase your expertise and confidence for a career as a Registered Counsellor
• Want the depth and breadth of an Honours equivalent professional degree with a strong applied learning component.
• Want to develop high intellectual independence and research capacity of psychology.
• Want a qualification that will give you multiple academic pathways for Masters studies in psychology, the social sciences or related fields.

What will I learn?

Throughout the BPsych degree you’ll develop critical thinking skills and gain a depth of understanding into:

• Psychology, mental health and people in a social context including personality and developmental paradigms for understanding individual and group behaviour.
• Psychological challenges and models for understanding behaviour and intervention.
• Diversity and cross-cultural dynamics in the South African context.
• Ethics in psychology.

You will also develop:

• Counselling and interpersonal communication skills, including referral and management strategies in accordance with the HPCSA’s guidelines for good professional practice.
• Essential skills to protect and promote psychological wellbeing and enhancement of personal functioning
• Skills to design, implement, monitor and evaluate programmes with a focus on training individuals, families and communities to develop strong, collaborative and supportive partnerships within community contexts.
• Competence in applied planning and intervention within a community setting, including psycho-education, psychosocial health promotion, applied mental health intervention and community based care.
• Practical experience through the practicum component of the programme.
• An aptitude in research design, implementation and evaluation.
• Competence in psychological screening, primary mental status screening and basic psychological assessment.

What can I do with this qualification?

You will be able to work in professional practice as a Registered Counsellor. This means that, working together with multi-professional teams, you can:

• Provide short-term supportive counselling services to protect and promote psychological wellbeing.
• Perform psychological screening, primary mental status screening, basic assessment and referral and management strategies.
• Promote psychosocial health and community based care with individuals, families and communities in diverse settings.
• Perform primary mental health interventions.
• Participate in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of psychologically-based programmes that are appropriate for individuals or groups in community contexts.
• Participate in policy formulation based on various aspects of psychological theory and research.
• Train and supervise other Registered Counsellors.

What further study pathways are open to me?

Once you have successfully finished the BPsych degree, you’ll be eligible for admission into a Master’s degree in psychology, the social sciences or related fields – both nationally and internationally.

Selection process

SACAP has a limited intake of 20 students per campus per year into this programme. Acceptance into this programme is subject to a stringent selection process that includes, inter alia: applicants meeting the minimum entrance requirements, completion of application forms, assessment of academic and non-academic aptitudes and competencies, interview with a panel, psychometric assessment and final selection interviews.

Minimum entrance requirements

• A National Senior Certificate, or equivalent, with an achievement rating of 5 (Substantial Achievement, 60-69%) or better in 6 designated subjects including English and Mathematics (or Maths Literacy) as two of the six designated subjects OR
• A Senior Certificate with endorsement, or at least a Conditional Exemption, passed in at least 4 subjects, including English first language and Mathematics (Symbol E at Higher Grade or the Symbol C at Standard Grade).