The Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal proudly congratulates Dr. One Selohilwe on her remarkable achievement of earning her PhD in Public Health on September 18, 2024. Dr. Selohilwe, who serves as a dedicated Project Coordinator within the CRH, has made a significant contribution to the field of mental health through her innovative research aimed at bridging the mental health treatment gap in South Africa.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal recently celebrated her success, recognizing the importance of her work in developing a culturally adapted, task-shared counselling intervention for Setswana-speaking adults with comorbid depression. Her research, divided into formative, feasibility, and implementation studies, underscores the critical role of lay-counsellor-led services in addressing depression, particularly among individuals with chronic illnesses. Through this approach, her work highlights the importance of integrating these mental health services into South Africa’s primary healthcare (PHC) system.
Dr. Selohilwe’s motivation for this research stems from her background as a clinical psychologist, where she witnessed firsthand the barriers to accessing mental health care in under-resourced settings. By developing an intervention using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques—including problem-solving, healthy thinking, and behavioral activation—her research addresses common causes of depression such as poverty, interpersonal conflict, and illness. The intervention, delivered by trained lay counsellors, was designed to make mental health care more accessible and culturally relevant for those most in need.
The results of Dr. Selohilwe’s work are significant. Her intervention not only reduced depressive symptoms but also improved functional disability and reduced internalized stigma among participants. The findings from her three-phase study demonstrated that those who engaged with the program for 5–8 sessions experienced the greatest reduction in depressive symptoms over a 12-month period. These outcomes underscore the potential for scaling up her task-shared model to benefit more individuals across South Africa.
As part of her research, Dr. Selohilwe identified several systemic changes necessary for fully integrating task-sharing models within South Africa’s healthcare system. She calls for formal recognition of lay-counsellor roles, increased training and supervision by mental health specialists, and the inclusion of these services in national mental health treatment guidelines. Her work highlights how task-sharing can serve as a sustainable solution to South Africa’s mental health challenges by making evidence-based care more accessible, particularly in resource-limited settings.
At the CRH, we are immensely proud of Dr. Selohilwe’s achievements. Her research embodies our mission to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas and to develop contextually relevant, sustainable health interventions. Her dedication, leadership, and passion for addressing mental health disparities have been integral to her role at the CRH, and we are honored to support her in her ongoing efforts to make a lasting impact in public health.
Dr. Selohilwe’s work is a critical contribution to public health, offering a scalable model that has the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes in low-resource settings across South Africa. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to her on this well-deserved success and look forward to the continued impact of her research.
Congratulations, Dr. One Selohilwe!
For more on Dr. Selohilwe’s impactful research, visit the UKZN Ndaba Online article or click here to read her abstract.
