Psychological Consultations in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Practice and Evolution

Context: The work retraces the painful journey of this science, the struggles of the precursors and the happy outcome thanks to the association of practicing psychologists, united within the National Union of Clinical Psychologists, on the other hand. This practice, it should be noted, remained for a long time in the scientific ghetto in the DRC, thus making the masters of yesterday as the holders of a scientific approach very inaccessible to their successors. Which earned them attributions linked to mystical-religious considerations.

Objectives of the work: To constitute a capacity building tool and to offer an orientation, in the discipline, to students and other scientists who are interested in psychological consultations on the one hand, and to describe the progression curve of the activity in the framework of psychological practice.

The culture of psychological consultations in the DRC dates back to the second half of the 20th century by university professors, notably those from the University of Kisangani who migrated to the University of Kinshasa on the one hand, and those from the Institute National Pedagogical on the other hand. During this period until the 1990s, psychological services were not known to the public nor were they structured. Since 2000 to the present day, the need for psychological interventions has increased by 85%, in the context of the mental health of the population, especially with the social intrusion of pandemics and the repeated wars in the East of the country.

Conclusion: Psychological consultations, through their practice, help to understand the client’s real psychological experience and ensure efficient psychotherapeutic support or treatment.

Prof. Ruth Bukabau

Dr Ruth Bukabau Babuya is a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Kinshasa, where she serves in the departments of psychology, demography, and criminology. She also teaches at the Evangelical University of Bukavu. Her research focuses on the psychopathology of children, adolescents, and women, and she is a specialized educator for children with autism. In addition to her academic work, Dr Bukabau is a consultant at the Fistula Clinic of Saint Joseph Hospital and the Congolese Center for Children and Families (CCEF). She is a member of various professional organizations, including the Association of Urologists of Congo, the International Association for Research in Educational Science (AFIRSE), and the National Union of Clinical Psychologists of Congo (UNPC), where she also serves as treasurer.

Common sense or nonsense? Ideas that have held back and advanced the treatment of OCD

OCD is a chronic and disabling condition which was once thought untreatable. The first seeds of optimism regarding OCD treatment emerged from South Africa after the second world war. Since then, the development of psychological and psychiatric treatments for OCD has been characterised by a series of dead ends, and pivotal turning points.

This address will provide a brief retrospective overview of some of these ideas, the people behind them, and their links to South African psychologists and psychiatrists. The crucial role of intrusive thoughts and safety-seeking behaviours in the development and maintenance of OCD will be discussed. Factors which negatively impact on the effective delivery of psychological treatments for OCD, including pop psychology, the invalidity of traditional CBT techniques when applied to OCD, therapist drift, and therapist beliefs will be reviewed. This presentation will then consider some of the possible broader implications for the future development of our field.

Dr Blake Stobie

I trained at UN, Pietermaritzburg. I am the Director of the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma at the Maudsley Hospital, London, and the private practice London Psychologist. I have written book chapters and journal articles, collaborated on a video game on OCD based on a graphic novel, appeared in TV documentaries on anxiety treatments, and a TedX talk. I manage national clinics to treat treatment-resistant OCD, and UK terror attack victims.