Malawi

IAC Member Associations & Organizations

Malawi Association of Counselling (MAC)

Interested in your association becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Associations & Organizations

Malawi AIDS Counselling and Resource Organisation (MACRO)

Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO)

IAC Education Institute Members

Interested in your education institute becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Education Institutes

University of Malawi, Chancellor College

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Social Science in Social Work, Bachelor of Social Science, Master of Education in Educational Psychology

Saint John of God University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Counselling, Bachelor of Science Degree in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing

The Catholic University of Malawi

• Programme Types: Not stated, but offering Community Development, Social Work
  Note: Faculty provides student counselling and consultancies

African University Diplomacy, Counselling and International Relations

• Programme Types: Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Arts in Guidance and Counselling, Master of Arts in Guidance and Counselling 

IAC Member Centres/Group Practices

Interested in your centre/group practice becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Centres/Group Practices

Luntha Psycho Social Counselling Therapists

Emotional Wellness and Therapies Centre

It is believed that counselling in Malawi came together with the pandemic of HIV diseases. In the year of 1985, the Health Ministry of Malawi enhanced by placing a HIV Testing and counselling called HTC. The HTC counsellors were trained for at least 3-5 weeks .

The Malawi Association of Counsellors (MAC) was first founded in 1999 and then registered during the year of 2002 as the Registered Trustees of (MAC). Their main vision is to provide counselling to all those in need in Malawi and beyond by qualified counsellors. It is to ensure the development of professional counsellors, providing the quality of counselling services for emotional healing, psychosocial growth, and the well-being of people.

However counselling services were poorly coordinated by the members from the association itself and needed more attention for the people who are facing major problems in the urban and rural area.

In 2014, counselling training started to have some improvement that would like to offer some changes. Therefore, professional counsellors came together, decided to revive MAC to deal with the challenges that professional counselling is facing and the need to help their society.

There are few practise settings which are available in the association itself where they mentioned on the website as “find counsellors” to make an appointment and social media platform such as Facebook to contact for more details about the session. 

• There has been a huge lack of networking among institutions offering counselling training and services.
• The awareness of counselling is not spread throughout the region.
• Number of high HIV cases.
• No proper registration, certificate and licensing of counsellors.
• Quality counselling services is compromised putting clients at risks.

For a deeper exploration of the counselling profession in the country, interested readers are recommended to read the following journal articles:

• Lilford, P. (2019). Mental health in Malawi. BJPsych International, 17(2), 32-33. doi:10.1192/bji.2019.28