If you’re thinking of becoming a counsellor, but just don’t have a clue on how to go about it, then fear not! You are at the right place.
To start off, here are a few questions that may help you
understand if you are heading in the right direction or not:
Do you enjoy helping people?
Do you want to have a positive impact on people’s lives?
Do you enjoy spending time with people and helping them
talk about their feelings?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions, then counseling may just be your true calling. However, there is a lot to consider before you take that plunge.
Who is a Counsellor?
A counselor is someone who helps people in need
by providing them with support when they experience emotional difficulties and
guides people on personal, career, lifestyle, and relationship issues.
A counselor:
- Works
with individuals and groups to improve their mental health and well-being.
- Helps
clients define goals, plan actions and gain insights.
- Develops
pathways to the goal with different alternatives.
- Acts
as a facilitator to reach goals.
- Takes care of holistic (mind and body) health.
Different Types of Counsellors
A counsellor supports and guides clients with issues, which can arise in any sphere of their lives. As a result, a counsellor can don many hats and work in many different domains. Here are the 4 most common types of counsellors.
1. School Counsellor
School counsellors work at the school level (usually as an in-house counsellor) and help students to deal with social, behavioural, personal and academic problems that arise at this crucial stage of their lives.
2. Rehabilitation Counsellor
Rehabilitation counsellors help people deal with the personal, social, and vocational effects of disabilities. They help people with both physical and emotional disabilities caused by birth defects, illness or disease, accidents, and other causes.
3. Mental Health Counsellor
Mental health counsellors address and treat mental and emotional disorders. They use therapeutic techniques to deal with issues such as depression, anxiety, addiction, suicidal impulses, stress, trauma, low self-esteem, grief, etc.
4. Career Counsellor
Career counsellors (like me) help high school students, college students and working professionals to find direction in their career and resolve career-related issues. They help people to know and understand themselves to make career, educational, and life decisions.
Is psychology marketable in Kenya? / Is counselling psychology marketable in Kenya?
The course is very marketable especially in light of
increased cases of depression in both young people and adults in Kenya.
You see, perhaps due to harsh economic times, there are more
cases of depressed people in our nation today (there have been calls to declare
depression a national disaster).
In the same breath, today more youths are suffering from
stress and other mental illnesses in Kenya (this is partially caused by the way
kids are being brought up today) so schools, churches, and other institutions
that deal with youths are increasingly hiring counselors.
Even the disciplined forces in Kenya are also affected- if
you have been following the news, you may have noted that hardly a few weeks
pass before you hear of a police officer who has committed suicide.
So, in a nutshell, there are more jobs today for qualified
psychiatrists than at any other time in history in Kenya.
Now that I have answered your “Is psychology marketable in
Kenya?” question, let us now turn to important details about psychology and
counselling courses in Kenya.
Psychology courses in Kenya
Here are the counselling psychology courses in Kenya
you can take if you have decided to go ahead and pursue a career in psychology:
Degree in psychology
You can pursue any of the following degree options:
- Bachelor
of Psychology
- Bachelor
of Arts(BA) In Counselling Psychology
- Bachelor
of Arts(Counselling Psychology)
- Bachelor
of Arts(Psychology)-Egerton University
- Bachelor
of Science(Counselling Psychology)
- Bachelor
of Arts(Psychology, Sociology, And Political Science)
- Bachelor
of Psychology(With IT)
- Bachelor
of Science(Medical Psychology)
- Bachelor
of Counseling Psychology
- Bachelor
of Arts (BA) In Psychology (With Technology)
Universities offering psychology in Kenya (Universities
offering counseling psychology in Kenya)
Below are the names of universities that offer psychology in
Kenya:
- Chuka
University
- Bomet
University College
- Alupe
University College
- Africa
Nazarene University
- African
International University,
- Catholic
University
- Daystar
University
- Egerton
University
- International
Leadership University
- KAG-EAST
University
- KCA
University
- Kenya
Highlands and Evangelical University
- Kenya
Methodist University
- Kisii
University
- Kenyatta
University – There are several psychology courses in Kenyatta
university (KU was among the first institutions to offer online
counselling psychology courses in Kenya)
- Laikipia
University
- Mount
Kenya University
- Maseno
University
- Pan
Africa Christian University
- Pwani
University
- Scott
Christian University
- St
Pauls University
- Tangaza
University College
- Technical
University of Kenya
- Technical
University of Mombasa
- Zetech
University
- USIU-
Of all USIU psychology courses, their BA in Psychology is best known.
Note that if you did not qualify for university entry, you
will start at the Diploma level.
Below are the minimum entry requirements for both the Degree and Diploma programmes
Psychology courses in Kenya requirements
Degree in Psychology
KCSE Mean Grade: C+
Other requirements: None
Diploma in Counselling Psychology / Diploma In
Psychology and Counselling
KCSE Mean Grade: C / C- depending on the
institution
Colleges offering Diploma in Counselling Psychology in
Kenya
Here now are some of the government-sponsored colleges
offering Diploma in Psychology in Kenya
- Eldoret
National Polytechnic
- Jaramogi
Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology
- Laikipia
university
- Nyandarua
Institute of Science & Technology
- Siaya
Institute of Technology
- Thika
Technical Training Institute
- Turkana
University College
Keep in mind that there are dozens of private colleges
offering a Diploma in Counselling Psychology in Kenya including Amani
Counselling Centres.
It’s worth mentioning that there are colleges that offer a certificate in Counseling and Psychology in Kenya for those who got a grade lower than a C- including Kenya Institute of Social Work.
How to become a psychologist in Kenya
First, you need to take a course- and I have already listed
the qualifications to help you see the course level your grades can fit.
Next, you need to go for an internship- in some cases, you have
to do this during the course.
The idea behind the internship is to help you acquire
practical skills that will later on serve you well when you come to the
practice.
Once you have finished the course plus the attachment, you
need to apply to join the Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association.
This is the body that regulates the profession and having a
certificate from them showing that you’re an accredited counselor can make a
huge difference when applying for jobs.
Here is
a link to their website.
With all that done, you can now start looking for formal jobs or open a private practice (if you will take this route, be sure to pay for the necessary licenses to the county government before you open).
A word on child psychology courses in Kenya
There are different types of psychology courses and one of
them is child psychology.
Now, unlike general psychology courses, courses in child psychology
prepares you for a career as a children and adolescent counselor so the
training tends to lean more on understanding kids thinking and emotions.
The Kenya Institute of Social Work offers a Diploma
In Counselling(Child and Adolescent Option) and can be a good bet if you
want to pursue child psychology
A word on clinical psychology courses in Kenya
The other branch of Psychology is Universities offering
clinical psychology in Kenya.
Here you undergo highly specialized training programs in the diagnosis/treatment of various mental illnesses- The aim of the courses is to make you a wholesome mental health professional who can work in a “clinical” setting(medical facilities).
Universities offering masters in clinical psychology in
Kenya
Now, for the most part, you must have undertaken a degree in
an area such as Psychology/Counseling Psychology, Sociology/ Social work etc.
before advancing to clinical psychology.
Here are the universities (somE) that you may join if you
want to advance to masters in clinical psychology in Kenya:
USIU– Master
of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology
University of Nairobi–Master
of Science (Msc) in clinical psychology
Daystar University– Masters in
Clinical Psychology
Please note when it comes to practicing clinical psychology, you must be certified (and registered) by the regulatory bodies.
The skills and interests required to pursue a career in
this field
- Effective
communications skills
- Planning
skills
- Organization
skills
- Tolerance
- Empathy
- Problem-solving
skills
- Time
management skills
- Interpersonal
skills
- Team
spirit
- Research
skills
What the job / profession /career
entails
The work involves the following:
- Providing
support to people experiencing social or emotional difficulties by helping
them work through the challenges
- Challenging
inappropriate behavior in communities
- Providing
the means for emotionally distressed individuals to obtain help within
community settings
- Building
links with other groups and agencies dealing with counselling/trauma
healing
- Helping
to raise public awareness on depression and stress-related issues relevant
to the community at large.
- Provide
continuous psycho-education to families and caregivers.
- Facilitate
the Rehabilitation and re-integration of individuals in recovery.
- Provision
of pre as well as post-test counselling tailored to different situations
- Providing
individual/group counseling interventions to those experiencing different
forms of trauma/stress while observing maximum confidentiality and
professional ethics/etiquette
- Conduct
necessary psychological assessments or Mental Status Examinations
- Prepare
and submit various reports to your Supervisor.
- Follow-up
and monitor individual cases and provide required feedback of the
interventions offered.
Career Prospects for holders of psychology and
counselling qualifications in Kenya
- Career
Counsellor
- Child
Care Supervisor
- Cognitive
Psychologist
- Clinical
Psychologist
- Cross-Cultural
Psychologist
- Developmental
Psychologist
- Counselling
Psychologist
- Mental
health practitioner
- Educational
psychologist
- Forensic
psychologist
- High
intensity therapist
- Occupational
psychologist
- Sport
psychologist
- Psychological
wellbeing practitioner
Where can you find work?
You can work in health institutions, educational
institutions, humanitarian organizations, agencies and centers,
Not-for-Profits, faith-based organizations, correctional facilities among
others.
Kenya Association of Professional Counsellors (KAPC) Membership
KAPC strives to promote professional development in Kenya
and other African countries by offering an active membership service to
professionally trained counselors. Membership is open to professionally trained
counsellors, trainers and supervisors in Sub-/Sahara African region and other
developed countries such as UK, America, and Canada.
Download the Membership Application Form
- Registration: Ksh. 2,500/=
- Renewal: Ksh. 1,500/=
Benefits include being part of a prestigious and well-known
professional organisation and opportunities for professional and personal
development. Those who register as members will enjoy the following services at
all of the KAPC branches of Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa.
- Accreditation
for ‘Chartered Counsellor’ cc
- Supervision
- Continuing
Professional Development e.g.
- Annual
conference
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Short
Courses
- Personal
Development or Growth groups
- Newsletter
- Library
- Computer
Lab
- Fun
outings
- Community
service
- Counseling
practice opportunities
- Discussion forums