Khayelitsha gets mobile mental clinic

Published May 5, 2016

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Lisa Isaacs

A KHAYELITSHA resident and qualified psychologist is giving back to his community, by opening up a mobile counselling clinic and helping to break down stigma around mental health issues.

To address alcohol and drug abuse, gangsterism, crime, domestic and sexual violence, Banetsi Mphunga established the Township Parents and Children Counselling Centre (TPCCC), in partnership with Sacap (South African College of Applied Psychology).

Together they officially launched a mobile counselling clinic for the community yesterday, open to anyone in the community who cannot access or afford mental health services.

Mphunga said the mobile counselling clinic van will be able to reach people in need, in their environment and normalise seeking professional help.

The van will drive through the area and park in public places, and members of the community will be able to pop in for a consultation.

In an environment fraught with trauma and abuse, seeking clinical help is often impossible, due to the scarcity of mental health resources and the cost attached, particularly if you are young, he said.

“This is a community that has a lot of psychological baggage. Many come from broken families. That is why our tagline is about restoring families.

“We want to restore the value of families. We also see the prevalence of substance abuse, which is a result of many common mental health issues like depression, peer pressure, anxiety,” he said.

He said often youngsters would sometimes refuse professional help, thinking their peers will look down on them or see them as weak.

Community leader Wellington Mntabeko said the community welcomed the clinic.

“The clinic is good for this community because like many other communities our children are addicted to drugs and involved in gangsterism. The clinic will not only be in this spot but it will go around Khayelitsha,” he said.

Mntabeko said there was not enough awareness about mental health issues in the community and people did not know where to get help. He said the clinic would provide a safe place to do so.

Sacap chief executive, Lance Katz said: “As a resident of Khayelitsha, Banetsi’s work is raising important awareness that mental health is critical to the overall well-being of the individual, the family, the community and society as a whole.”

The centre can be contacted on 021 367 6012

[email protected]

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