The Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) in collaboration with the Counselling Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has organized a day’s workshop at the Amonoo Neizer Conference Centre for IDL Zonal Coordinators. The workshop was meant to equip the participants with basic skills in counselling to provide counselling services to staff and students in their respective zones.
Professor Matthew Glover Addo, Director of IDL, opened the session by praising the Zonal Coordinators for their sacrifices and sustaining the Institute at their respective zones and centers to its current state. According to the Director, the psychological well-being of students is a top priority for University Management, making it necessary to train front-line employees in basic counselling skills so that they may identify students and staff who may require counselling and recommend professional help to them. In light of this, Management devised a training program to equip them with the necessary abilities to provide first-aid psychological support to students.
The Director encouraged the participants to utilize the opportunity and use their technical expertise to strengthen the support systems of the Institute.
The Head of the KNUST Counselling Center (KCC), Mrs. Victoria De-Graft Adjei, took participants through the mirror concept, what counselling is/not, counselling techniques/skills, and qualities for effective counselling.
According to her, counselling aims at equipping an individual to develop the skills needed to help oneself and bring about change in behavior. As a counsellor, she stressed the need to know the different skills in counselling and apply them for the desired outcomes. She further urged participants to appreciate the diversity in clients and understand that there are no fixed standard meanings to behavior.
On the qualities of a counsellor, she advised that a good counsellor should possess the characteristics of being knowledgeable, resourceful, humorous, sensitive to other people’s views, warm, trustworthy, attentive, and appreciative.
Other professional counsellors of the University took participants through an introduction to the helping process, counselling ethics, and identifying students in distress: protocols for reporting and referring students in distress.
