Community Perceptions on Marriage and Family Counselling: A Survey on Married Couples in Hintonville Community of Chegutu in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe

The study investigated the perceptions of the Chegutu Town community on marriage counselling, using different modes of counselling, namely, traditional counselling, pastoral counselling, counselling by police officers from the Victim Friendly Unit and professional counselling. The researchers targeted the population of married couples in Hintonville Low Density Suburbs, a location that is situated in Chegutu Town in Zimbabwe. A sample of 30 married respondents comprising 17 married men and 13 married women of various ages ranging from 21 years upwards who had plus/minus eleven years of experience in marriage, were conveniently selected. The descriptive survey and structured questionnaires with closed and open ended questions were used to collect data. A pilot study was carried out to ensure validity and reliability of the research instrument. The study findings revealed that married couples generally have a positive perception on all the four modes of counselling. However, of the above mentioned modes of counselling, the community in question prefers pastoral counselling most because of the spiritual guidance associated with it. The community also supports traditional counselling though some married couples are of the view that elders are too harsh, unlike pastoral counselling and professional counselling. The results also suggest that the community is not fully conversant with professional counselling as evidenced by the low rate of respondents who prefer professional counselling as compared to pastoral counselling and traditional counselling.