Department of Guidance and Counselling

Prof Comfort W. Agi

Head of Department

Guidance and Counselling

Guidance is a continuous process of helping individuals (students, employees, or anyone in need) make appropriate educational, vocational, personal, and social choices. it involves offering advice, information, and direction based on an individual’s needs, abilities and interests to assist them in reaching their full potential. while Counselling is a professional, confidential, and interactive process where trained counsellors help individuals understand and resolve emotional, psychological, behavioral or personal issues. it emphasizes self-understanding, personal growth, and problem-solving skills, leading to healthier mental well-being and decision-making.

Profile of the Head of Department

Prof. Worlunwo Comfort Agi is a Counselling Psychologist and was born on the 23rd October, 1963 into the family of Mr Igwe and Mrs Elina Enyi of blessed memories in Elele Alimini of Emohua local government area Rivers State. She attended primary school, secondary school and College of arts and science now known as Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic all in Rivers State. She obtained her Doctorate degree (PhD) in University of Calabar. She is currently a lecturer and the Head, Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counselling in Faculty of Education. She is the Director of Career Services Centre. She is a member of many Professional Associations, Fellow to many institutes and Cooperate bodies. She has contributed immensely to the growth of Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON)in both State and international level. She has presented papers at Conferences, workshops and trainings. She has won several Awards of services in leadership and humanitarian activities. She has successfully supervised 20 PhD and over 59masters degree students, published over 80 Research articles in various high profile local and International journals. Authored four books and twenty chapters in books.

Staff list in the Department

Name	Rank	Area Of Specialisation	Email
Prof C. W. Agi	Professor/HOD	Guidance and Counselling	agi.worlunwo@ust.edu.ng
Prof. M. D. Eremie	Professor	Counselling Psychology	maxwell.eremie@ust.edu.ng
Prof D. I. Dimkpa	Professor	Guidance and Counselling	dimkpa.daisy@ust.edu.ng
Dr M. G. Kennedy	Senior Lecturer	Guidance and Counselling	margeret.kennedy@ust.edu.ng
Dr. Mercy Chukwu	Senior Lecturer	Educational Psychology	mercychukwu@ust.edu.ng
Dr C. A. Otakpo	Lecturer I	Guidance and Counselling	angelchile300@ust.edu.ng
Dr. P.E. Agbor	Lecturer I	Guidance and Counselling	patricia.agbor@ust.edu.ng
Dr. I. John-Nelson	Lecturer I	Guidance and Counselling	nelson.john@ust.edu.ng
Dr R. N. Ukoima	Lecturer II	Guidance and Counselling	ruth.ukoima@ust.edu.ng
Dr. P. M. Ogonda	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	patricia.ogonda@ust.edu.ng
Dr. N. A. Egwurugwu	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology
Dr I. Johnwill- Macdonald	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	ibubeleye.macdonald@ust.edu.ng
Dr S. N. Ahiakwo	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	ahiakwo.nkemakola@ust.edu.ng
Dr. M. Onisoya	Lecturer II	Guidance and Counselling	maclean.onisoya@ust.edu.ng
Dr T. T. Adubo	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	tamunobelema.adubo@ust.edu.ng
Dr. C. A. Dimkpa	Lecturer II	Guidance and Counselling
Dr. E. Wokoma	Lecturer II	Guidance and Counselling	esther.wokoma@ust.edu.ng
Dr. C. Umukoro	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	coral.umukoro@ust.edu.ng
Dr. E. Ben-Eke	Lecturer II	Educational Psychology	ethel.eke@ust.edu.ng
Miss. F. C. Wobeh	Assistant Lecturer	Guidance and Counselling	wobehflorence@gmail.com
Miss. C. O. Wike	Assistant Lecturer	Guidance and Counselling	obunwo.wike@ust.edu.ng
Mrs. V. V. Sota	Assistant Lecturer	Guidance and Counselling	vivien.sota@ust.edu.ng
Mrs. J. Echeonwu	Assistant Lecturer	Educational Psychology	juliana.echeonwu@ust.edu.ng
Mr. H. O. Clement	Assistant Lecturer	Educational Psychology	hope.clement@ust.edu.ng
Miss. E. L. Onu	Assistant Lecturer	Guidance and Counselling	lovenda.onu@ust.edu.ng
NON ACADEMIC STAFF
S. N. Amadi	Admin. Officer I		nkesistasi8@gmail.com
E. O. Wagbara	Admin. Officer II		editionwagbara@gmail.com
A. V. I. Moro	Principal Confidential Secretary		ladymoro1212@gmail.com

UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE DEPARTMENT

The following are the unique features of the Department:

The curriculum seeks to prepare counsellors/teachers who will function in schools as well as non-school settings, hence counsellor educators are encouraged to allow their students do their practicum exercises in both school and non-school settings; and also engage in teaching practice exercise to acquire teaching skills to justify the inclusion of a teaching subject in the programme.
The syllabus emphasizes the use and mastery of modern technology (synchronous and asynchronous communication) in counselling. Tele-counselling, use of social media, emails and other forms of online counselling approaches are stressed; and

The programme also stresses the use of practical as against only theoretical approaches in the counsellor education programme, hence the emphasis on the acquisition of skills in the use of psychological tests and other procedures for vocational, personal-social and academic counselling (CCMAS, 2022).

CAREER OPPORTUNITES AND EMPLOYMENT SKILLS OF THE DEPARTMENT

Career Opportunities

A graduate of Guidance and Counselling has a variety of career opportunities which include the following:

Educational Institutions
Government Ministries and Agencies at Federal, State and Local Levels
Community service centres, family support programmes, leadership and citizenship training centres
Industries
Entrepreneurship
Consultancy

Employability Skills

To meet advanced training in all aspects of the programme, Educational Psychology, Guidance and counselling, graduates counsellors/teachers are adequately groomed to:

Graduates of this programme shall possess skills (online counselling skills, digital literacy and flexibility, ability to think outside the box and others) that will make them employable in educational institutions at all levels as guidance counsellors, career masters, teachers of counselling, graduate assistants, to mention a few.
Graduates should also be able to work in non-school settings as career counsellors, marriage and family counsellors, radio/television/online counsellors, HIV/AIDS counsellors, and mental health counsellors, among others.
They will also turn out to be self-employed or even as employers of labour (counsellor entrepreneurs), due to exposure to and acquisition of other skills like the use of technology in counselling and psychotherapy (tele-counselling), advocacy skills, decision-making and goal-setting skills, time management skills, among others.

21^st Century Skills

The 21th century skills include:

Creativity and innovation: the ability to create new ways of thinking and solve problems by being innovative;
Critical thinking and problem-solving: the capacity to apply higher-order thinking to new problems and issues;
Communication: the capacity to communicate effectively in various forms and contexts for a wide range of purpose;
Collaboration: the ability to work in teams to effectively generate, share and use ideas;
Information Literacy: the faculty to access, evaluate, synthesize and share information from multi-specialty/inter-disciplinary sources;
Technology usage: the skill to identify appropriate technology tools and use them efficiently, ethically, and effectively;
Career/life Skills: the ability to become independent and self-directed learners.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT

Philosophy

In line with the National Policy on Education, the Department of Guidance and Counselling is premised on the fact that education, by its nature, is aimed at maximizing the creative potentials and skills of the individual by self-fulfilment and the general development of the society. It’s therefore designed to help young people in schools to realize the said objectives by acquiring skills and attitudes to cope with their educational, vocational and socio-psychological challenges.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the programme are to:

Train emotionally adjusted graduates with the right frame of mind and good sense of judgement utilizing their skills and competencies to contribute positively to the development of the human race
Produce graduates that will assist students at all levels to develop skills and attitudes individually and in groups in order to solve their academic, vocational, and social psychological problems.
Enable graduates of the programme to utilize the acquired knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to assist people in non-school settings to handle their social-psychological challenges
Prepare counsellors that will assist students, parents and teachers by creating career awareness and guiding them in career choices depending on individual abilities, interests and available career opportunities.
Equip students with skills to identify and counsel special needs persons (those with special needs, unique talents and disabilities), their parents and teachers, as well as refer those in need of special assistance to relevant professionals.
Prepare counsellors that will assist educational curriculum planners design curricula in line with the learners’ developmental stages, special aptitudes, and the world of work.
Produce graduates that can serve as functional professionals to provide mental health services (through counselling) in school and non-school settings like hospitals, work environments, marriage and family settings, corrective centres, military and paramilitary establishments, IDP camps, to mention a few; and
Produce graduates that will be self-employed through the establishment of Private Counselling Centres in order to contribute to national development.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

Duties and Responsibilities

Teaching

Deliver lectures and facilitate learning in guidance and counselling courses.

Prepare course materials, syllabi, and lesson plans.

Design and assess student assignments, exams, and projects.

Supervise students’ practicum, fieldwork, and research projects.

Incorporate current theories and practices into instruction.

Research and Scholarship

Conduct research in areas related to guidance, counselling, psychology, or education.

Publish scholarly articles, books, and conference papers.

Present findings at academic conferences or workshops.

Seek funding for research through grants and proposals.

Student Guidance and Support

Provide academic and career guidance to students.

Offer psychological counselling and support when appropriate.

Mentor students in personal and professional development.

Refer students to appropriate counselling services for complex cases.

Curriculum Development

Participate in the review and development of departmental courses and programs.

Ensure course content aligns with national and institutional standards.

Integrate relevant trends and technologies into the curriculum.

Administrative Duties

Serve on departmental and institutional committees.

Participate in program accreditation and quality assurance processes.

Contribute to departmental planning, budgeting, and policy development.

Maintain student records and submit required reports.

Community and Professional Engagement

Provide outreach or consultancy services to schools and community organizations.

Collaborate with professional counselling bodies or associations.

Organize seminars, workshops, and public lectures.