‘Quack counsellors confuse, mess up people’

The President of the College of Counselling and Psychology (CCP), Rev. Prof. Samuel Oheneba Dornyo, has expressed worry over the rapid growth of quack counsellors who he said confused and messed up people who were already struggling with their problems.

He said there was a craze for people to bear the title of counsellor and paraded the airwaves to deceive people.

Rev. Prof. Dornyo was speaking at the second graduation ceremony of the college in Accra last Saturday.

College

The College of Counselling and Psychology (CCP) was affiliated to the Trinity Theological Seminary (TTS) in 2013 to provide training for counsellors who would encourage the inherent values of the intellectual, social, physical and spiritual aspects of development. This year, the college graduated 70 students who received training in marriage and family counselling, as well as stress and anger management.

According to Rev. Prof. Dornyo, the counselling profession required persons who were sound, disciplined and truthful.

“Counselling is a specialised field that requires constant training and it needs some character traits to be successful,” he indicated.

National unity

For his part, the Vice Academic Dean of the Trinity Theological Seminary (TTS), Very Rev. Prof. John D. K. Ekem, advised the graduates not to treat cases beyond the scope of their training but should refer such cases to their superiors for advice.

“At your level of training, do not treat cases that are beyond your scope of training. Learn to refer in the best interest of the client and do not portray something you are not,” he said.

Very Rev. Prof. Ekem urged them to use the knowledge acquired to advance national peace and unity, especially as the nation goes to the polls in December.

“Seek God in all you do by combining your healing strategies with God’s word,” he said.