Bridging the Gap in Psychological Service Delivery for a Developing Country: Teaching the Bachelor of Psychology Degree in Botswana

Abstract

This paper presents a Bachelor of Psychology (B.Psych.) programme as offered in Botswana since 2004. The B.Psych. programme is a relatively new approach and aims to bridge the gap between the country's need for psychological services and its lack of psychologists. The B.Psych. programme teaches students psychological skills and competencies already at the undergraduate level. Practical training and a six months internship are essential parts of the B.Psych. programme, which makes the degree different from atypical B.A. or B.Sc. degree in psychology. Graduates have basic competencies to provide psychological services to the community with supervision.