A project to assist guidance educators in developing their skills, resources and confidence in providing a mental health service to the learners in their schools, was set up as part of a wider school-based reform initiative. The project was structured according to the principles of community psychology: community collaboration and participation, empowerment, a needs-based approach, cultural sensitivity, a preventative/health promotion emphasis, and an awareness of the context in which individuals live and the macro system issues that may influence their everyday lives. Teachers reported feeling empowered both personally and professionally by the project, and that the service delivery to learners had improved. The experiences in this project affirmed the role of psychology in serving under-resourced and disadvantaged communities, and the value of a community psychology orientation in South Africa. Although the project enjoyed success in the short-term and adhered to many of the practices espoused by community psychology, the failure of the project to more fully address the socioeconomic and political context creates uncertainty whether the positive benefit of the project can be sustained. Long-term follow-up will be needed to adequately assess this.
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