Guidiance And Counselling Unit

Introduction

The provision of Guidance and Counselling services is an important factor in university education, particularly in the production of quality and competitive graduates. To validate acquired knowledge and experiences of our graduates, adequate skills and opportunities need to be provided in all universities for students to develop competence for future career and gainful employment for global competitiveness. University students need to grow in character and learning, in responsibility, indeed they need to develop holistically in order to possess integrated personalities. This, in essence, has created the need to establish counselling centres that would design and provide quality services and programmes relevant to the world of work and healthy living.

Guidance and counselling existed as a section of Student Affairs Office since the inception of Rivers State University. Senate, in its 249 regular meeting finally approved the take-off of the Unit in 2018 after a comprehensive presentation by Dr. (Mrs.) C. Agi on guidelines for the establishment of Guidance and Counselling Centre in Rivers State University. This was achieved through additional concerted efforts and encouragement of the then Vice Chancellor Prof. C. B. Didia.

Guidiance And Counselling Unit

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE UNIT

The primary function of counselling services is to help students realize, develop and reach their full potential in order to maximally benefit from their studies and many opportunities that beckon. In similar vein, counselling services can provide support to staff to build necessary intra and interpersonal skills to live an adjusted life for maximum productivity. Specifically, the centre will perform the following duties:

To provide the highest quality of individual and group counseling and therapy to students and staff who may have behavioural difficulties.
To facilitate programmes focused on developmental needs of students or/and staff in order to make them maximize potential benefits available.
To provide consultancy services to the university community in order to make the environment as beneficial as possible to the intellectual, emotional and physical development of students and staff.
To engage in evaluation activities in order to determine the efficacy of the services being offered.
To integrate the training of new professionals within the provision and evaluation of counselling services.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Unit are to:

Provide counselling services to students and other clients.
Provide adequate information and training to students and other clients in order to master professional skills and competence in their chosen areas of study (career).
Liaise with Alumni and professional bodies to organize career development activities for students.
Provide referrals to appropriate bodies for students’ social, economic, emotional and other problems.
Secure job placement for students (undergraduate and postgraduate).
Liaise with the Chief Medical Officer of the University in planning and organizing activities for students on health related concerns.
Liaise with Dean of student Affairs on students’ welfare and co-curricular activities.
Provide enabling environment towards partnering with development partners and stakeholders to foster students’ career development.
Liaise with the Coordinator of Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) on activities and programmes within and outside the University.
Coordinate Faculty/Departmental academic guidance activities, with the students’ Guidance and Counselling services of the centre and
Collate data on global and Nigerian labour trends and advertising students on scholarships and occupational and opportunities that abound.

Organogram of the Counselling Unit

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

Director: She is the Chief Counselling Psychologist. She posses a Ph.D in counselling psychology and has at least 10 years relevant experience and robust managerial skills.

Director’s Functions:

Provide substantive leadership for University Counselling Center and its clinical activates in order to meet the counselling needs of students of the University
Co-ordinate administrative functions including management policies and procedures of budgeting and compliance at the Centre.
Ensure ethical compliance, including administrative evaluations in line with rules and regulation of the counselling practice.
Participate, on behalf of the Centre in strategic planning and operations through service on relevant committees of the University.
Facilitate appropriate mechanisms to formulate and implement policies that will drive the Center and its statutory responsibilities.
Co-ordinate acculturation system of new and transferred students.
Provide professional practice (i.e. academic/educational counselling, career/Vocational counselling and socio-personal counselling) using appropriate diagnostic tests at the Centre.
Refer! Endorse referral of clients to other professionals as the situation demands.
Facilitate necessary collaboration between the Centre, the Alumni Association and corporate agencies in the interest of the students and the University at large.
Reports directly to the Vice Chancellor

Deputy Director: Should have Ph.D in Counselling Psychology with a least 8 years relevant experience.

FUNCTION

As may be assigned by the Director, Counselling Centre from time to time.

Administrative Officer: He oversees and coordinates office administrative procedures and reviews, evaluates and implements new procedures. Establish work priorities, delegate work to office support staff and ensure deadlines are met and procedures followed.

Confidential Secretary: He maintains diaries and arranges appointments, type, prepare and collate reports.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Since the inception of the University Counselling Unit, it has achieved its mandate by organizing a 2-day Counselling Awareness Programme in collaboration with Counselling Association of Nigeria Rivers State Chapter and in 2021 organised One-Day Counselling Awareness Programme (CASSON) which helped in sensitizing students of various faculties on the need for Guidance and Counselling service. The awareness is so high and unit has attended to 318 client(s). The Unit has successfully provided cumulative records of information of all students in the University (undergraduate and postgraduate).

It may interest you to know that the present Head of the Unit was promoted to the rank of Professor in October 2020 thereby changing her status from Ag. Director to full fledged Director of Counselling Unit. She has Ph.D in Counselling Psychology (Guidance and Counselling) with at least 10 years relevant existence and robust managerial skills as approved by NUC guideline for the appointment of Director of Counseling and Human Development Center or Unit.

In 2021, the building assigned to this unit was renovated and some counselling facilities were provided.

Over 1,000 students were counselled in their various life challenges.

PROSPECTS

The University Counselling Unit has the prospect of creating, promoting and developing training events which will enhance youth employment. The Unit shall also by the year 2022, develop programmes and activities including provision of information on the following:

Vacancies and security jobs
Applications, scholarships, funding opportunities, self-development, on campus employment opportunities, student placement. Becoming models for other centres to emulate.

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of the Rivers State University Counselling Unit is to provide quality, integrated, seamless, accessible knowledge, skills that would holistically work, counsel and assist undergraduate and graduate students to develop effective and functional professional development skills with focus on moral, intellectual, emotional, physical, social and psychological guidance that are necessary in fostering creativity, scholarship, innovation, self-reliance, initiative hard work and tenacity in their various areas of endeavour.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Take over Orientation of year one students
Organize a seminar on Educational Leadership for students
Consult with stakeholders to address student needs
Carry out Orientation Services for all faculties

PROFILE OF HEAD OF UNIT

Name of the Director: Prof. Comfort Agi

Name of Department:Counselling Unit

Date of First Appointment: 22^ndSeptember, 1999, Asst. Lecturer

Educational Qualification:

(1) Ph.D Guidance and Counsellling, University of Calabar

(2) M.Ed. Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counselling, Uniport

(3) B.Ed. Guidance and Counselling, University of Ibadan, Ibadan

Experience:

(1) She has at least 20 years relevant experience and robust managerial skills

(2) She has over sixty publications in both local and international journals.

(3) She has attended many conferences, both national and international

(4) Prof. Comfort W. Agi is the first professor of Guidance and Counselling in Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt.

(5) She is the first Director of Counselling Unit, Rivers State University.

(6) She has supervised over twenty Ph.D students in Guidance and Counselling and over forty M.Ed. students.

(7) She was the pioneer Head of Department of Educational Management.

Name	Rank	Area Of Specialization	Email
Prof. Comfort Agi	Professor	Guidance and Counselling	comfortagi@gmail.com
Onwuka Martin	Administrative Officer II	Regional Development Planning	marowen566@gmail.com
Onunwo Collins Victoria	Higher Executive Officer	Social Studies	victoriacollinsonunwo@gmail.com
John Ogonda Chijioke	Administrative Officer II	Political Science	ogondajohnchijioke@gmail.com
Asitonka Marylyn Douglas	Asst. Chief Executive Officer	Business Education	joseph.douglas71@gmail.com
Wagbara Chinedu	Confidential Secretary (Casual)	Science Education	chineduwagbara@gmail.com