Counselling on rails: social accountability learning among South African psychology students

Abstract

This study investigated the utility of train transportation health care service in a North Eastern South African region. Participants were seven psychology graduate students at a South African university. They completed reflective journals on their subjective experience and objective reporting of their activities. While on the train, they provided psychological services to the local community members. Data were thematically analysed. Aspects such as problem-solving driven by community needs, personal motivation for community service, and awareness of differences in socioeconomic status and cultural orientation were highlighted by students. This process highlights the value of service learning and social accountability, particularly in South Africa and Psychology where a chasm exists between contextual challenges and the conventional training and interventions.