The psychological wellbeing of every student is paramount for the achievement of their goals. To achieve this, the university has several professional student counselors to assist students stay psychologically healthy. The section is headed by a Coordinator who is a Senior Student Counselor. The section has both male and female counselors and students have liberty to choose their counselors.

Mission

To assist students in; the development of skills for establishing and maintaining effective and satisfying personal and social relationships, the formulation and implementation of their educational and career plans, facilitating student self- understanding and self-acceptance.

Services offered by the Counseling Section:

1. Individual counseling: this is a one on one counseling session.
2. Group counseling: this is a group counseling session where students are encouraged to share experiences and perspectives in order to learn from and support each other.
3. Peer counselors programme: Peer Counselors are a group of students recruited and trained by Egerton University Counseling staff to counsel their fellow students. They are trained and are knowledgeable about; Family Life Education, Counseling Skills, Substance Abuse, HIV/Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). As a result of their training and experience, peer counselors are often more highly sensitized to the needs of those around them and can respond more appropriately to those needs. Peer Counselors can also help students to adjust to the new university environment, they are always near you on and off campus, lecture halls and all around the campus, you can identify them by a special tag that they wear all the time.

The staff in the Counseling Section assist students in the following ways:

1. Become more proficient in life skills such as choosing between alternative effective interpersonal communication, and enhancing potentials.
2. Improve insights and self-understanding that will enable students to understand their feelings and tensions.
3. Cope with crises and learn how to resolve problems. Facilitate emotional, spiritual and psychological healing so that students can move towards wholeness, especially in the light of the brokenness brought about bycrises.
4. Reconcile - assist students to move towards restoring wholeness in broken or strained relationships with those who constitute their socialenvironment.
5. Support students by being there for them and sharing burdens with them while responding to a crisis.
6. Guide students by drawing out their potentials on
7. Nurture growth by assisting students to negotiate the sharp curves of their psychological, physical, emotional, social and intellectual development.

Issues students face while in the university that they may seek counseling for:

Among others students while in the university may face the following issues for which may necessitate seeking of help:

1. Suicide and suicidal ideations- Life situations may push university students to feel, helpless, hopeless and want to end their life or attempt to.
2. Unplanned pregnancies- The freedom that comes with campus life frees students to experiment with relationships and sexual lifestyles that could lead to pregnancies.
3. Relationship issues- These cases are not limited to romantic relationships but also family friends and fellow university students.
4. Needy cases- These are students who come from humble backgrounds or lose support while in campus.
5. Depression – University students face challenges, pressures and anxieties that can cause them to feel overwhelmed.
6. Bereavement –Students like anyone else can suffer loss and grief when they lose someone significant in their lives. During such a time they require support to go through the process.
7. Anxiety- This is intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Issues happening around the world could be a source of worry for a campus student. Things like elections, robbery, muggings, examinations, fees payment, parent’s health, family conflicts etc.
8. Drugs and substances use- Nationally drug and alcohol abuse is an issue requiring intervention, any students experiencing challenges with drug abuse are welcome to for assistance with recovery.

Peer Counsellors are a group of students recruited and trained by Egerton University staff to counsel their peers. They are trained and are knowledgeable about; Family Life Education, Counselling Skills, Substance Abuse, HIV/Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). As a result of their training and experience, peer counsellors are often more highly sensitized to the needs of those around them and can respond more appropriately to those needs.

Peer Counsellors are trained to counsel on a wide range of issues including; relationship concerns, sexual harassment, rapes, unplanned pregnancies, stress, financial and time management, roommate problems, academic problems, religious issues, alcohol and drug abuse among others. Peer Counsellors can also help students to adjust to the new university environment. Peer counsellors are always near you in the residential, lecture and mess/cafeteria and all around the campus, you can identify them by a special tag that they wear all the time.

Peer counselors are usually recruited from time to time on voluntary basis. Students wishing to become peer counselors are requested to be on the lookout for adverts on the notice boards and the university website so as to apply.

Principles that guide counseling

• Confidentiality – the counseling sessions operate in a professional manner where client’s confidentiality is strictly adhered
• Volunteerism – Counselling is a helping relationship that relies on the client (student) coming forward to seek help
• Autonomy- Autonomy is a right to self-determination of choice and freedom from the control of others. The necessary conditions for autonomy are voluntariness, competence, and full disclosure of information.
• Beneficence - Beneficence involves a more active concept of contributing to the well-being of others
• Adherence to counseling codes of practice.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEEK COUNSELING?

• When feeling helpless, hopeless and fearful
• When feeling demoralized
• When losing steam to continue learning
• When feeling stressed
• When missing classes for no apparent reason
• When going through a relationship breakup
• When looking for a partner
• When unable to achieve personal goals
• When unable to relate with others
• When experiencing suicidal ideations
• When bereaved
• When having conflicts
• When learning becomes difficult
• When making important decisions
• When unable to from or enter into healthy relationships
• When experiencing abuse of any kind
• When the going gets tough
• When having unplanned pregnancy
• When you need to be listened to/when you need to talk
• Any other time you feel you need assistance

How is counselling offered?

• One on one counselling- when an individual students volunteers to seek help from an individual counselor
• Group counseling- when a group of student facing the same challenge seek help and are taken through a session by one or more student counselors
• Thematic talks- when a group of students seeks to be talked to on a certain issue they can approach the counseling office for facilitation
• Online counselling- students are encouraged to seek help anytime they feel they need it. Students can reach to the counselors through personal contacts available on the website.