Fiji

Fiji has its own unique view on counselling in comparison with the western view. Fijians believe that counselling is a process of giving advice or direction for the clients by a person with authority, and without hearing their stories (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2017). This causes the perception of counselling in Fiji to be seen “as a corrective process administered by elder family members, village leaders, clergy, and teachers who counsel those who stray from cultural or religious norms” (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2017, p. 22). As a collectivist country, Fijians think of themselves as in a group rather than as individuals. Fijians would be considered violating cultural norms when they take their personal problems beyond their relatives and social groups. Therefore, a professional mental health worker such as a counsellor would be seen as a threat to their cultural traditions. Many Fijians also have a stigma that they view mental health workers like trained counsellors where they only treat severe mental illnesses (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2017). Therefore, they would rather not seek help from a counsellor for personal issues to avoid being called crazy. 

According to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017), the three common places in Fiji that someone can get trained in counselling are at the “APC, Eastern Mennonite University, and Allan Walker College” (p. 36). Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2017) also claims that a certain number of police officers are trained with rudimentary counselling skills for victims who have experienced sexual violence. Fiji still struggles to recognize the psychological trauma that people of the LGBTQ community have endured, but recognition is beginning to take place and changes are on their way (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2017).