GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN SCHOOLS IN KENYA PRINCIPALS

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN SCHOOLS IN KENYA PRINCIPALS’ USE OF COUNSELLING SKILLS Dr. Geoffrey Wango Psychology Department University of Nairobi

2 AFRICE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 18 th - 19 th JUNE, 2015 EDUCATION IN AFRICA: REFLECTIONS BEYOND 2015 MDGs-COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES University of Nairobi

GLOBAL WORLD Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

PAPER OUTLINE Preamble The Principal in the School Issue: Pupils and Student Needs Rationale for Guidance and Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills The Counsellor in the School Counselling Role Aspects of Counselling: Confidentiality, Code of Conduct and Ethics Conclusion Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Areas of Offering Help in Counselling Psychology - Educational Counselling // School Counselling // Educational Guidance and Counselling - Marriage and Family Therapy // Family Therapy - Clinical Counselling - Pastoral Care // Pastoral Counselling - Child and // Adolescence Counselling - Palliative Care - Community, Health and Rehabilitation Counselling Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Areas of Offering Help We can merge and come up with a few features to avoid overcrowding : (1) Educational Counselling // School Counselling (2) Marriage and Family Therapy // Family Therapy (3) Child and Adolescence Counselling // Child and Adolescent Counselling // Child and Adolescence Therapy // Counselling Children and Young People // Children and Youth (4) Trauma and Disaster // Crisis Counselling (5) Drug Addiction and Rehabilitation Counselling Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

The Principal in the School §School effectiveness through effective school leadership must go beyond administration and management to bring about desirable positive changes. §Principals as school leaders must offer more than the traditional role of school administration and management thus shape the organizational conditions for successful and sustained implementation of school programmes and incorporate best practices §These include: collaborative networks and alliances, providing directions, consulting widely with heads of departments and staff, empowering and mobilising others. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

The Principal in the School §Principals must understand the complexities of education and schooling and ultimately translate strategy into the school through shared vision evident in strategic planning. §Strategic planning includes enhanced communication that can be enhanced through use of counselling skills. §This includes astute management of school resources to incorporate all programmes such as guidance and counselling. §This is because part of the effectiveness of the counselling programme is to amass the synergy among teaching and support staff, parents and students § Principal involvement is quite essential. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

School Issues: Pupils’ and Students’ Needs § Child or student counselling is a process in which the counsellor attempts to understand helps to clarify those feelings in a child or student that may, and can impede growth, maturation, and overall well-being. § Counselling in the school deals with sensitive issues in the lives of a pupil or student, families and members of teaching and support staff. § Issues include: academic performance, career, love relationships, depression (mood, suicidal attempts), alcohol and drug abuse, sexual activity, parent-child relationships, illness (HIV and AIDS, cancer), emotional disturbance, trauma and self injurious behaviours. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Rationale for Guidance and Counselling ØPupils and students in school face various challenges ØThese include: academic demands to perform well, peer pressure, finances, attempts to identify one-self including self-esteem and maintaining personal relationship with peers, teachers, parents and other siblings. ØDifficulties especially in the school tender years can have profound effects on child experience and may affect academic performance, emotional development, ability to progress, decision to remain in school, personal relations and other effects such as taking tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Rationale for Guidance and Counselling ØGuidance – guide, direct, counsel, Professional to. . ØCounselling – process, skills and techniques, theoretical framework ØPsychology – study of the human mind and behaviour ØGuidance and counselling – embraces concept of guiding and counselling pupils and students ØGuidance and counselling: individual and group (individual guidance, group guidance; individual counselling, group counselling) ØTeacher counsellor, counsellor in the school, chaplain – personnel who provide and coordinate guidance and counselling services including spiritualism Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills - There is a distinction between formal counselling and use of counselling skills - Counselling is a process in which a practitioner with knowledge and skills is involved in a formal relationship of assisting a client who is in situational difficulty. - Counselling skills are a collection of techniques and strategies that are used to enhance communication in the counselling process and relationship, and these skills can greatly be extended in other contexts. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills Attending skills Facilitating or responding skills Challenging and confrontation skills Core conditions Empathy Genuineness Unconditional positive regard Listening Silence Observation Minimal prompts Paraphrasing Reflection of feeling Questioning Summarising Focusing Clarification Concreteness Confrontation Self disclosure Disengagement / termination Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills: Principal Needs to ‘put away’ the Table Gap Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills: Principal Needs to ‘put away’ the Table Gap Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills - Pupils and students are likely to share their concerns including fears, frustrations, disappointments, anxieties and worries with a person they can easily identify with including the teacher and of course the school principal. - The principal may need to find out why a student is performing poorly or is accused of misconduct only to find that they are providing emotional support. - Similarly, the extension of using counselling skills among the population increases the number of people in the population receiving necessary help in times of need (Kirkwood, 2000; Mc. Leod, 2003). Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and Use of Counselling Skills - This includes para-professionals such as in health, social workers and other professionals. - It should be noted that the study carried out by Kirkwood (2000) was in a community where counselling had been recently introduced and hence the school context and Kenya are significant. - Use of counselling skills includes professionalism and use of counselling ethics including confidentiality - This is why training in counselling is a major component for professional competence and enhanced performance. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

The Counsellor in the School • Individual counselling. Counsellor works privately with individual student usually on one or more aspects such as problem solving, decision making, career aspirations and discovering personal meaning related to learning and development. • Group guidance. Counsellor works with larger groups of students or classes on academic, career or life skills promotion. • Group counselling. Counsellor works with a small group of students on personal or academic issues. • Consultation. Counsellor assists peer counsellors, teachers, support staff, parents, chaplain and other adults become more effective at working with students. • Coordination. Counsellor manages services such as parent or community meetings. The meetings indirectly address the counselling needs of diverse students. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and a Code of Professional Ethics §Counselling is a profession guided by a Code of ethics §Counselling is confidential and must safeguard all information obtained in the counselling relationship. §The counsellors must walk the tightrope between being a counsellor or a school informer and the implications are obvious; students will trust a counsellor but will certainly stay away from the school informer. §It is the assurance of confidentiality that generates the trust necessary for communication between the student and the counsellor. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and a Code of Professional Ethics §The codes of ethics for counsellors recognize FOUR clear exceptions to strict confidentiality: (a) Student freely waives the right of confidentiality; (b) Disclosure of confidences is required by statute or court order; (c) Student condition indicates clear and imminent danger to self or others; and, (d) It is necessary for the counsellor to consult with other professionals about the student’s case. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Counselling and a Code of Professional Ethics § In the absence of these exceptions, counsellors are legally justified and ethically required to withhold information in confidences even from inquiring parents, principal or other teachers. §It is therefore important that the counsellor in the school while working closely with the principal are well acquainted with the general guidelines and make their own decision based on set procedures and adhere to professional ethics. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Conclusion -Various policy documents have recommended a coherent guidance and counselling programme - The delivery of quality whole school approach to all pupils and students in schools must involves all stakeholders, including the school management, principals, regular teachers, and the school counsellor. - Counsellors and chaplains are validated for their services but must also be curtailed in providing quality services to pupils and students. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Conclusion -There must be policy change to school management, particularly guidance and counselling in schools with greater commitment of the government, school management and teachers to support various additional endeavours. - This paper outlined suggestions that may impact on provision of guidance and counselling services through enhanced skills among principals in use of counselling skills. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

References Several references have been included in the paper. They include policy documents on guidance and counselling particularly in Kenya. Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi

Dr. Geoffrey Wango Senior Lecturer Psychology Department Faculty of Arts University of Nairobi Tel. +254 726 056489 Email. gwango@uonbi. ac. ke gmwango 2000@yahoo. com Dr. Geoffrey Wango, Psychology Dept. University of Nairobi