From May 27 to May 30, 2024, we had a four-day training session on foundations of Counselling facilitated by Paul Onyango and Hellen Rangoro from our partner Wezacare Solutions. The training aimed to equip our officers with counselling skills to enhance their ability to provide emotional therapy to those in need.
This hands-on training, both in theory and practical, ensured that participants gained a deeper understanding of the key components of counselling.
The training begun with a focus on the phases of counselling where our staff were taken through the stages involved in counselling.
Staff were also taken through empathy as a component of counselling where the need to understand a client’s emotion was stressed.
Other skilled covered were active listening, reflective listening and asking the right questions during counselling, all important elements that when well integrated and lead to a successful counselling process.
The final component of the training allowed officers to put the newly acquired skills to test through role-playing exercises, where they alternated between being counsellors and clients. This experiential learning reinforced their practical abilities, leaving the team more confident and capable of handling real-life counselling scenarios.
These newly acquired skills, will strengthen our officers’ knowledge on counselling and enable them to effectively support families in crisis, and provide emotional support to those navigating difficult situations.