Role of counselling in managing stress in health workers: a case of the university of Zambia clinic in Zambia.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate role of counselling in managing stress in health workers at the University of Zambia Clinic in Zambia. The objectives of the study were to identify the causes of stress in health workers at the University of Zambia clinic, to establish the role of counselling in managing stress in health workers and to assess the effects of stress on health workers at University of Zambia clinic. The study used a case study design in conducting this research. The case study design was used because of its ability to collect fine details of data from the population and its emphasis on fact finding. Qualitative method was applied in data collection. This was so because, the researcher aimed at having an in-depth understanding of issues from the point of view of the research sample in order to understand the target population The major findings of the study were that, stress was caused by long working hours, heavy workload, too much paper work in consulting rooms for clinicians, unfriendly management practices, strict supervision, inadequate working rooms, in adequate and appropriate resources, working over lunch hour, lack of recognition by superiors and non-payment of accrued benefits and gratuities for contracts served and poor time table preparation. The different findings established by the present study was that there was need for recreation counselling as a way of reducing stress. The reason for this unique dissimilarity which also happens to be the new knowledge to the academia world can be alluded to differential cultural backgrounds. The different findings established by the present study was that the victims of stress tended to fake some sick offs in order to reduce on stress. The other findings established by the present study were that there was poor time tabling, too much paper work and lunch hour periods as causative factors to stress. This is what constituted new knowledge because it had not been established in any reviewed literature. The reason for this difference may be alluded to different cultural setting in which the study was done. Based on the findings, the study recommends that there is need for recreation counselling to address stress in health workers the University of Zambia Clinic.