SCHOOL-BASED COUNSELLING

A PANACEA FOR ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

School-based counselling is an important part of schools’ total educational programme. It is one of the most prevalent forms of counselling offered to help alleviate adjustment problems among secondary school students. Though most schools do not have access to Professional Guidance Counsellors in Nigeria, its importance as an effective educational support service is not in doubt. This paper therefore draws attention on school-based counselling: A panacea for adjustment problems among secondary school students in Nigeria. The paper employs a qualitative research design focused on the need for school-based counselling, parameters of school-based counselling, case examples of how school-based counselling was used to address adjustment problems among students and professional counsellors’ role in helping students to overcome adjustment problems through school-based counselling. It was suggested, amongst others, that the Federal Government of Nigeria should make it compulsory for all the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory to engage the services of professional counsellors in all her secondary schools across the nation so that all students should be able to have free access to the services of professional counsellors. The national assembly should promulgate a law to back the above recommendation. Through these ways, school-based counselling will be given the rightful place it deserves in our school system to help troubled students to overcome their problems.