‘Memory boxes’ as tool for community-based volunteers

Abstract

This article describes an action research intervention to augment community-based volunteer counsellors’ support capacity. We conducted a case study with purposefully selected community-based volunteers (N = 30). From a narrative and positive psychology framework we developed and implemented an intervention which focused on memory box-making (MBM). The participants’ ranges of psychosocial competencies were explored pre- and post-intervention by way of observation, focus-group discussions, as well as informal conversational interviews. We found that the volunteers acquired the skills and applied them competently.

Keywords:

• Community-based volunteers
• memory box-making
• psychosocial support