National President of Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON),Professor Elizabeth Egbochuku,has implored Nigerians to embrace effective counselling as part of measures to reduce confusion and enhance informed decision making.
She spoke at a press conference in Abuja, where she disclosed that effective counseling leads to positive changes in peoples attitude and behaviour.
According to her, the art helps beneficiaries to make “their own choices, reach their own decisions and act upon them accordingly.”
Egbochukwu noted in a statement that “Professional Counsellors maintain professional relationships of trust that empower diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals. Counsellors work with clients on strategies to overcome obstacles and personal challenges that they face..A professional counsellor is a highly trained individual who is able to use a different range of counselling approaches with their client to resolve personal, social, or psychological issues (problems and difficulties).
Counselling profession in the country is a practice that seeks to improve psychological wellbeing and mental health of our contemporary society. Professional counsellors are trained to counsel clients in trauma and abuse, addictions, family, and relationships issues, problems and many more.”
This is as she revealed that the professional body is now in a position to offer more services to the country’s educational sector.
“Counseling has been centrifugally a school-based activity, helping learners to actualize their academic potentials and make appropriate career decisions, these goals remain central to the core professional focus of Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON),” Egbochukwu explained.
The Counselling Association of Nigeria was founded on the 15th of November 1975 to ensure human psychological growth and development, and advancement of the counselling profession.
First read on the floor of the Senate on the 1st of March 2018, the Bill establishing the Council was however assented to by President Mohammadu Buhari on 29th July 2022, twenty six years after it was established, enabling the body to be gazetted and conduct legitimate operations in Nigeria.
Professor Egbochukwu pointed out that the Counseling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria Act seeks to establish the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria for the conduct of qualifying examinations, regulating the counselling profession, and determining standard of knowledge and skill required of persons seeking to become members of the Counselling Profession in Nigeria.
