St. Paul's University - Counseling Section

Location: Kenya (Limuru)

St. Paul's University is a non profit religious organization. The peer counselors constitute a select group a students who have received training for a duration of 32 hours in providing basic psychological support to their fellow students. This training comprises of counseling skills, how to deal with a crisis, making a referral, effective study skills, theoretical approach to counseling, and relevant emerging issues pertinent to the students at the time of training. It has been in operation for the last 9 years. About a 100 students get trained ever year out of which 75 % end up being active.

This initiative was started with an aim of providing psychological support and creating mental health awareness for young college students. Every semester, a peer counselor targets to reach at least 5 students. In one year, we can reach about 1,125 students in a population of about 8,000 students.

We have partnered with Student's Campaign Against Drugs and substance use (SCAD) Kenya. They would train the peer counselors on prevention and treatment strategies in drugs and substance use. They would also hold talks for the university students through the peer counseling program. This collaboration has since stopped.

Key among our achievements is providing psychological support to students. Others are, providing a safe space for the students through a peer counselors led forum dubbed "the coffee hour" where the youngsters discuss issues pertinent to them such as relationships, academics, substance and drug use, and sexuality among others. The peer counselors also reach out to the neighboring secondary schools in the community and provide mentorship and much needed psychological support. We also have regular Peer Counselors Newsletter, now in its 4th year of operation. This has been particularly helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic. The peer counselors also assist the new students in settling down to the the university during the university's orientation week.

The scope of the peer counselors work is the university community, neighboring schools, as well as youth outside of the university. Our main funding comes from the university administration. We however still experience financial constraints and cannot do all that we would aspire to do.

Since the pandemic, there has been a reduction in financial support, and a rise in mental health needs among the students.

Support

We would like for our peer counselor to be facilitated with data bundles in such a way that they can easily access internet so as to reach their peers online. Toll free lines for the counseling section would also help so as to provide mental health to as many students students as possible and as are referred to the counseling center by the peer counselors especially during this pandemic.

In the meantime, the peer counselors are financing themselves which severely limits the number of people they can reach.

Other needs: Access to information, Space for online convenings (e.g. GoToMeeting)

See more: https://www.spu.ac.ke/new/index.php/dean-of-students-office

For more information contact covid19@unmgcy.org