Staff Reporter
Thembeka Sdinane is on a noble and historic mission to find the intersection where South Africa’s diverse cultures meet with psychotherapy. She then wants to use the knowledge garnered from her research to enhance psychotherapy in one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.
Sdinane obtained a BA in 2013, and a BA Honours in Psychology from NMU a year later. She is currently busy with an MA degree at the same university. Her research is titled “Psychologists’ perceptions of cultural competence in working with clients from diverse cultures in psychotherapy within the Nelson Mandela Bay area”. The research aims to explore the field of cultural competence from a therapist point of view while also developing a model that will guide the psychotherapy process within the South African context. This research hopes to fill in the identified gap in the body of South African literature and hopes to contribute towards a better and fuller understanding of psychology in SA .
Sdinane has received various academic awards in her tertiary education. These include being named the Academic Achiever of the Year in the Health Science Faculty at Melodi Residence in 2011, and being one of the top 15% academic achievers and therefore honoured to be part of the Golden Key International Honour Society by NMU in 2012. She also completed Beyond the Classroom leadership programme in 2014 which equipped her with leadership qualities and skills that are not taught in a formal academic setting. Sdinane has also presented her study at “Being Humane in the 21st Century” conference hosted by NMU in August 2018. In addition to completing her thesis, she is preparing a journal article that she hopes to submit to a journal accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Exploring the culture of psychotherapy
