Skip to main content
Log in

School Counselor Preparation in Kenya: Do Kenyan School Counselors Feel Adequately Prepared to Perform Their Roles?

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

School counselor training in Kenya is a relatively new phenomenon. This study examined Kenyan school counselors’ perceptions of the adequacy of their preparedness to perform their roles within the school setting. The survey was administered to 105 school counselors in four counties. The findings revealed that Kenyan school counselors perceived themselves as being adequately prepared; however, participants revealed deficiencies in their preparation and ability to deal with a wide range of student issues. Implications of these findings to the training of school counselors and counselor training programs are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, M., Burt, K., Bryan, E., Carter, D., Orsi, R., & Durkan, L. (2002). School counselors’ preparation for and participation in crisis intervention. Professional School Counseling, 6, 96–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • American School Counselor Association. (2004). ASCA national standards for students. Alexandria: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American School Counselor Association (n.d.). The role of the professional school counselor. Retrieved from http://ascatemp.membershipsoftware.org/files/RoleStatement.pdf.

  • Baker, S. B., Robichaud, T. A., Westforth, D. V. C., Wells, S., & Schreck, R. E. (2009). School counselor consultation: a pathway to advocacy, collaboration, and leadership. Professional School Counseling, 12, 200–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bemak, F. (2000). Transforming the role of the counselor to provide leadership in educational reform through collaboration. Professional School Counseling, 3, 323–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigante, T. V. (2005). School counselors’ perceptions of the importance and need for appropriate training regarding preparedness to deal with specific crisis situations in schools (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University, 2005) Dissertation Abstracts International, 66/05, 1647.

  • Brott, P. E. (2006). Counselor education accountability: training the effective professional school counselor. Professional School Counseling, 10, 179–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burrows, O. (2015). Kenya: parents blamed for rising school violence in schools. AllAfrica. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201508100453.html.

  • Campbell, C., & Dahir, C. (1997). Sharing the vision: The national standards for school counseling programs. Alexandria: American School Counselor Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carney, J. S., & Cobia, D. C. (2003). The concerns of school counselors-in- training about working with children and adolescents with HIV disease: training implications. Counselor Education and Supervision, 32, 302–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chege, N. (2015). All work and no play is making Kenyan student a jittery and brutal lot. The Daily Nation. Retrieved from http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/DN2/When-students-blow-their-fuses/-/957860/2836622/-/up85j9/-/index.html.

  • College Board Advocacy and Policy Center (2012). 2012 National survey of school counselors: true north: charting the course to college and career readiness. Retrieved from http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/nosca/true-north.pdf.

  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2009). Standards. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org/doc/2009%20Standards%20with%20cover.pdf.

  • Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2009). Internet, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (3rd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Education Trust (n.d). National center for transforming school counseling. Retrieved from http://www.edtrust.org/dc/tsc.

  • Fineran, K. R. (2012). Suicide post-vention in schools: the role of the school counselor. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory and Research, 39, 14–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard Report (2008). Report on the parliamentary departmental committee on the inquiry into the students’ unrest and strikes in Secondary schools in Kenya. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=npaA_bLCLFAC.

  • Hayes, R. L., & Paisley, P. O. (2002). Transforming school counselor preparation programs. Theory Into Practice, 41, 169–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heppner, P. P., Wampold, B. E., & Kivlighan, D. M. (2008). Research design in counseling (3rd ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R. M., & Hayes, R. L. (2002). School counselors: becoming key players in school reform. Professional School Counseling, 5, 249–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimiti, R. P., & Mwova, M. M. (2012). The dilemma of career choice: a case study of Kenyan secondary school students. Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1, 357–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, K. A. (2000). Preventing adolescent suicide: do school counselors know the risk factors? Professional School Counseling, 3, 255–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, K. A., Price, J. H., Telljohann, S. K., & Wahl, J. (1999). How confident do high school counselors feel in recognizing students at risk for suicide? American Journal of Health Behavior, 23, 457–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavusa, N. I. (2010). Guidance related needs of adolescents in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/734407538?accountid=12846.

  • Leftie, P., & Wainaina, E. (2015). Outrage as two students killed in arson attack. The Daily Nation. Retrieved from http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Students-killed-in-school-arson-horror/-/1056/2818618/-/buf955/-/index.html.

  • Martin, P. J., & Robinson, S. G. (2011). Transforming the school counseling profession. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Transforming the school counseling profession (3rd ed., pp. 1–18). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • McEachern, A. G. (2003). School counselor preparation to meet guidance needs of exceptional students: a national study. Counselor Education and Supervision, 42, 314–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (2005). Kenya education sector support program 2005–2010. Retrieved from http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Kenya/Kenya%20KESSP%20FINAL%202005.pdf.

  • Murphy, S., & Kaffenberger, C. (2007). ASCA national model: the foundation for supervision of practicum and internship students. Professional School Counseling, 10, 289–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ngumi, O., Ngari, S. M., & Mumiukha, C. K. (2007). Challenges facing secondary schools’ guidance counselors in Kenya. Journal of Education and Human Resources, 4, 20–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyamwaka, E. O., Ondima, P. C., Nyamwange, P., Ombabe, S., & Magaki, E. K. (2013). Assessment of implementation levels of guidance and counseling programms in Kenyan secondary schools: a case of Sotik District, Bomet County, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 4, 178–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyutu, P. N. (2007). The development of the student counseling needs scale. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3351653).

  • Okech, J. E. A., & Kimemia, M. (2012). Professional counseling in Kenya: history, current status, and future trends. Journal of Counseling and Development, 90, 107–112. doi:10.1111/j.1556-6676.2012.00014.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ongeri, B., Mureu, L., Wambugu., & Gikandi, B. (2008). Bullying: Evil that refuses to go away. The Standard. Retrieved from http://www.eastandard.net.

  • Paisley, P. O., & Hayes, R. L. (2003). School counseling in the academic domain: transformations in preparation and practice. Professional School Counseling, 6, 198–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Kenya. (2001). Report of the task force on students discipline and unrest in secondary schools. Nairobi: Jomo Kenyatta Foundations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Kenya. (2005). A policy framework for education, training, and research, sessional paper no. 1 of 2005. Nairobi: Government Printers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schayot, L. A. (2008). School counselors’ perceptions of their academic preparation in their roles as professional school counselors (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3346905).

  • Tumuti, S. (1985). Needs assessment for guidance and counseling in Kenya. Retrieved from www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=ED317922.

  • Wambu, G. W., & Wickman, S. A. (2011). Advocacy for Kenyan school counselors and the counseling profession. Journal of Counseling in Illinois, 2, 34–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanzala, O. (2015). Kaimenyi calls for urgent meeting to address unrest in schools. The Daily Nation, Retrieved from http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/Kaimenyi-calls-urgent-meeting-to-address-unrest-in-schools/-/2643604/2813320/-/y23r2/-/index.html.

  • Watson, A. (2011). School counselors’ perceptions of preparedness for counseling and supporting students in poverty and homeless situations (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3467973).

  • Werner, D. (2014). Perceptions of preparedness for a major school crisis: an evaluation of Missouri school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 12(3), Retrieved from http://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v12n3.pdf.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Grace W. Wambu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wambu, G.W., Wickman, S.A. School Counselor Preparation in Kenya: Do Kenyan School Counselors Feel Adequately Prepared to Perform Their Roles?. Int J Adv Counselling 38, 12–27 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9253-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9253-4

Keywords

Navigation