Running head: Guidance and Counselling in Kenya and its Importance 1

Guidance and Counselling in Kenya and its Importance

Victor M Mbokola

E42/OL/CTY/25975/2018

Kenyatta University

EPS 704: Guidance and Counselling

Guidance and Counselling in Kenya and Its Importance 2

The importance of guidance and counselling is closely associated with the areas of

both guidance and counselling. The discussion therefore of their importance in education will

therefore centre on those areas.

Educational guidance and counselling is important for a student to help them succeed

in in their academics. For example when a student is guided on time keeping and notes taking

they are more likely to understand the content taught in class as well as revise their work

appropriately.

Vocational guidance and counselling on the other hand helps a student decide on ideal

career paths for their lives. By choosing careers that are at par with their abilities students are

poised to living a fulfilled life. This is actually an important aspect considering that in Kenya

most students are pushed to science related fields by both parents as well as their own

individual expectations gathered from the highly hyped fields. Without vocational guidance

and counselling, most students may end up pursuing courses that frustrate them.

Leisure time guidance and counselling is important in helping students decide on

which activities to engage in apart from academics. This prevents them from wasting time

and engaging in destructive activities. This is especially important to help reduce regrets for

students later in life. These activities even become careers for students later in life.

Social guidance and counselling helps students live in harmony with each other and

by extension the communities they live in. Humans are social beings and therefore social

guidance and counselling is important.

Moral guidance and counselling helps with instilling and practise of values that are

acceptable for harmonious leaving of individuals. It helps students know what is morally

acceptable for them to do.

Guidance and Counselling in Kenya and Its Importance 3

Personal guidance and counselling helps a student to deal with their own challenges

that may hinder psychological growth and learning. Personal sessions can be scheduled for

students with the school counsellor to help a student deal with specific problems.

Health guidance and counselling helps a student maintain a healthy lifestyle. The

health wellbeing of a student is necessary for an all-round development of a learner. Such

things like cleanliness fall in this category.

Counselling has come a long way in Kenya. The overall projectile is that it is now

more professional. One of the key developments is in the legal frameworks in place that

govern the counselling profession. The Counsellors and Psychologists Act 2014 basically

provides the legal boundaries of the field. It provides for the establishment of various boards

such as the counsellors and psychologists board, the rules for registration and licencing of

counsellors and psychologists among other legal purposes. This has served to regulate the

counselling profession as well as regulate it.

Another important aspect of the current state of counselling is in the training of

counsellors as well as psychologists. Institutions such as Amani Counselling Centre

specializes in the training of the fields in counselling and psychology. On the other hand

training in guidance and counselling has been incorporated in other fields to the level

necessary to them. For instance the units on Guidance and counselling offered to teachers in

training at Kenyatta University. This helps in increasing the professionals in the field and

generally a correct way of handling the bulk of counselling cases and the needs there-in.

Overall the counselling field has improved and become better managed over time.

The situation is bound to improve as the nation becomes more enlightened.