The Role of Traditional Healers in Counseling, Health Promotion and Community Education among the Yoruba People of Nigeria: A Case Study of the Oshun Festival

Abstract

Research evidence shows that approximately 80% of the Nigerian population depends on traditional healthcare. This paper examines the role of some individuals recognized as healthcare providers (based on the culturally held unique belief and knowledge systems about health and disease) by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The paper describes some cultural explanatory models of disease and approaches to healthcare (including medical diagnosis and treatment of diseases and cultural healthcare practices) among the Yorubas. The spiritual or religious frameworks of traditional healing by the people are highlighted, especially with regard to mind-body interactions including the moral, emotional, and spiritual aspects of healing as well as the conceptions of environmental forces which put people at risk for ill-health, cultural remedies and coping strategies in the treatment of ill-health. Also discussed, is the employment of counselor-initiated consultations/interviews and human relationships employed by traditional healers and the parallel which could be drawn between these traditional practices and Western-oriented practices such as the Rogerian client-centered approach to therapy. The conclusion of the paper is with regard to the need for collaborations between traditional healers and Western psychological and or healthcare providers. In this way, the applications of psychological knowledge for health promotion and illness prevention would be more comprehensive, holistic and context related thereby leading to the benefits of the patients and the general public.