It was only in the mid 1990's that the World Health Organisation WHO recognised that the mental health of a nation was as important as its physical well being. We know that from our own daily lives. Depression , anxiety, and other emotional states are universal problems which are of major statistical significance. Our emotional state influences our perception of our world , the people who we encounter and the way we see and feel about ourselves . These perceptions then influence our behaviour. What are the factors that determine our perception of ourselves and our world?
Firstly our own inherent temperament which makes individuals more or less emotionally resilient or vulnerable. Secondly our early infantile and childhood experiences with our caregivers. Lastly the political , social and economic environment in which we find ourselves.
To handle cope and tolerate disturbing emotional states on ones own often intensifies the painful mental state. People need and seek out persons in their world to talk to about their distress. This need to talk is universal and many people can be used as listeners , from family, friends, doctors, religious leaders, traditional healers etc. From the late 19th century this 'Listening ' became a discipline in its own right and the so called "Talking Cure " became more than a sympathetic hearer or advisor listening to a distressed person. What happened in this process of 'listening' to both speaker and talker was shown to be far more than just a reassuring or comforting occasion but one which had dynamics of great complexity. This complexity of human interaction and relationship in the specific 'therapeutic or counselling ' context became a field of study and research.
There was a lot more to both listening and talking than was immediately obvious. Professions such as psychology, social work, and psychiatry adopted this therapeutic intervention . Later lay counsellors became an additional arm of this discipline.
"Talking and Listening" were now recognised as an invaluable and necessary aspect of the general health field. Understanding the nature and development of the emotional world of human beings and all the manifold influences in this development became part and parcel of the mental health practitioners education. They needed to understand this before being able to listen or talk. It is with that brief background that the idea of UBUBELE -The African Psychotherapy Resource Centre was conceived.