In 1999, the Ministry of Education issued a policy to have the Department of Guidance and Counseling in all schools.

The GNC is a key department in every school, in our school the department has been in existence.  Members of this department include:-

1. Mrs. Sarah Musembi
2. Mrs. Faith Ngaruiya
3. Mrs. Caroline Kimotho
4. Ms. Viola Auma
5. Mr. Jared Otwabe

COUNSELING.

Professional assistance and guidance in resolving personal,  social or psychological problems. It is the heart of psychotherapy (healing process). It’s more personal, less structured, and confidential.

In a school set up counselling seeks to address and resolve problems, and helps students in decision-making while assisting them to cope with the crisis.

It is also concerned with helping individuals to work through feelings and inner conflicts so as to improve their relationships with others. It enables or helps an individual to live more competed and with contentment.

GUIDANCE;

Is giving advice or suggestions,  directions, or instructions to people who have problems whether spiritual or psychological. It involves personal assistance. It is the body of psychotherapy (building up the process). It is knowledge-based (factual). Guidance as an educational construct involves those experiences that assist each learner to understand himself, accept himself and live effectively in his society.  There are various types of Guidance and Counseling

1.      GROUP COUNSELING

This involves counselling and guiding students in groups. This program runs on Wednesdays from 7.30 to 8.00 am as students gather in their various houses.  Different topics are covered depending on the student need identified by the G&C department.  This type of counselling draws the majority from the vast wealth of knowledge of our own teachers who are tasked to facilitate the topic in each house.

2.      INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

Members of the Guidance and Counseling department normally are engaged in individual counselling.  Most of the clients are students referred to the department by the school’s disciplinary committee, parents, and teachers, and some are self-referral. Individual counselling is done throughout the term.  The details of individual counselling are kept by the department.  Cases that cannot be handled by the department are referred to professional counsellors who are invited to come to school   

3.      PASTORAL PROGRAMME

This is a programme that mainly focuses on the spiritual development of our students.  It is run under the patronage of Mrs. Mercy Njagi championed by our able Principal, Mr. Ken Bunyasi.  This programme has been running religiously every Thursday from 7 to 8 am since 2017. The main aim of this programme is to fun the spiritual growth of our students.  Every Thursday the whole school community gathers in the school dining hall for a moment to connect with God.  Various speakers are invited to do an exposition on a termly theme that is identified by the patron. 

Click on the link below to watch the morning devotion

https://cutt.ly/Lx6al9N 

So far this has been very enriching.  In addition, the SDA and Muslim students are allowed to gather and worship God under the patronage of their religious leaders on Saturdays and Sundays respectively.  On Sundays, the whole student body except for Muslims has a common service running from 7.30 am to 10 am in the school field where speakers from different churches are invited to preach to them.

Click on the link below to watch one of the Sunday Service

https://cutt.ly/6J1HUF3

In the last week of May 2019, the school held a challenging weekend, an event that exerted the spiritual lives of students, and many talents were revived.  The Christian Union (CU) is truly grateful to the administration for not only facilitating this event but also including it as a school annual event.  The vision of this programme is to have the lives of our students ordered by God which we believe would be a good beginning of personal discipline and consequently the overall school discipline.  Our lead word is in Proverbs 9:10. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”

4.      MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

This programme was started in the year 2018 with the help of the Principal and  The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).  The mentorship programme mainly involves visits to the academic departments, motivational talks by experts from these fields and one-on-one interaction with students in the departments.

Since term I and term II of both 2018 and 2019 we have taken students to JKUAT. Students are selected from all classes.  JKUAT is mainly a science-based University and is beneficial to those who want to pursue careers in science-related fields.  In 2019, we started a mentorship programme with Daystar University and our students have visited the Athi River Campus twice, on 11th March 2019 and July 2019.  Daystar University specializes in social sciences but they also have a school of nursing among others.  This benefits students who are inclined to social sciences fields.

5.      CAREER GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

It enables students to make informed decisions on subject choices that will enable them to realize their career dreams.  Students however need guidance from parents, guardians, friends, and teachers when choosing their career path.  The department has put measures to ensure that students make an informed decision on the career to pursue.  In our assembly ground, we have a career wheel showing the various careers and subjects required for each.  The career wheel is a constant reminder to our students on the subject required for each career path.  From time to time we invite a motivational speaker to talk to our students on career choices.  Parents/guardians have the most influence on students when deciding which career to pursue.  It is important when advising students on career choices to put into consideration the following

• Student’s values
• Student’s personality
• Student’s skills and talents
• Student’s interest
• Student’s vision

VALUES

Values are the underlying principles and standards of behaviour that help you determine your priorities and enable you to make decisions.  Some of the values include passion, integrity commitment, acceptance of others, honesty, tenacity, and many others. The knowledge of your core values will help you decide which careers are suitable for you and which are not.

PERSONALITY

Different students have different personalities. No personality type is better or worse than another. Every student needs to identify their strength and weaknesses.  Each student must choose a career that suits your personality; we normally invite professionals to help our student identify their personalities and suitable careers for each personality trait.

SKILLS AND TALENTS

Skills are abilities that we acquire by learning.  Skills are easily learned by engaging in activities you enjoy. You perfect your skills by practising.  Different careers require different skills and therefore it is important to find out the skills required in the career you are interested in.  Students are assisted in this area by taking skill identification exercises by this department.  Talents on the other hand are natural abilities that may be hereditary.  Talents when developed and nurtured will help the teachers to identify the best career for students.  Parents / Guardians know the talents of their children hence in a better position to advise on career choice /Subject choice.

INTEREST

Interest is a motivational factor that makes people achieve or realize their goals in any field of study.  The interest of a student in any career choice should never be overlooked

VISION

Vision precedes victory, for if you can see it, you can believe it, and if you can believe it, you can achieve it.  The vision of a student should never be underestimated.

After considering all these factors, students are allowed to make subject choices with the help of parents/guardians, teachers, and professional counsellors. When selecting the subject, a subject choice form is given to each as they proceed for the December holidays.  The completed form is signed by both the parent and student and submitted back to the school. The Guidance and Counseling department together with the Dean’s Office looks at the form and then places students in their various classes.

 G&C OUTPUT

Guidance and counselling are not tangible exercises as their results cannot be realized immediately.

In reality, it is difficult to quantify or measure the immediate results of counselling.

Specific behaviour change is a result of a process of both short and long-term

MRS. SARAH MUSEMBI

SENIOR MISTRESS – GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING