Why counsellors and psychologists are happy about forming their own society

In what is really a new dawn for counsellors and psychologists in Kenya, the Counsellors and Psychologists Act 2014 was signed into law by the President on July 30.

For the lifetime of the profession, this practice has not had any legal or regulatory framework and the consumers of these crucial services in the mental health arena continued to be served by persons who had no certifiable registration credentials.

The profession, too, was infiltrated by all manner of persons claiming to be counsellors or psychologists whose registration credentials were not certifiable.

With the enactment of this law, unqualified persons are liable to pay a fine of not less than Sh500,000, or serve two years in jail.

According to the Act, the minimum qualifications for one to practise as a counsellor or psychologist have been pegged at a Bachelor’s degree in either profession.

At an earlier stakeholders’ editing panel, the proposal was to have psychologists practise after attaining a Master’s degree in Psychology to benchmark against the norm in this profession worldwide, but the parliamentary departmental committee on health reduced the qualification.

This is one of the areas that may require an amendment at an early date during the implementation of the Act. Diploma holders will continue trading, but under a qualified counsellor or psychologist.

There are many professionals, including psychiatrists, medical doctors, nurses, educationists, clergy and social workers who offer quasi-psychological services, and who will now have to redirect their efforts to the professions they are trained in.

The Act creates a Counsellors and Psychologists Board whose main task will be to register all qualified counsellors and psychologists, handle all cases of indiscipline, and ensure adherence to professional standards which includes continuous professional education and supervision.

MEMBERSHIP BODY

The Act also creates a membership body to be known as Counsellors and Psychologists Society that will articulate all the professional issues of counsellors and psychologists.

This was one of the most contentious issues, with a few practitioners opposing such a society and preferring the existing associations to continue with membership duties.

The creation of this society was informed by the fact that there were various associations that seemed to work and speak at cross-purposes with each other. During disasters, these associations seemed to compete for attention without offering credible services.

For instance during the Westgate terror attack, there was no coordinated approach to the offer of services and most counsellors and psychologists who offered their services were not remunerated in any way despite the government releasing the funds.

With the creation of the society, this profession can now speak with one voice and the government, corporate and all other organisations and the public can now call on the society for services. The society will offer the services through its members in a coordinated manner.

It is expected that the society will advocate for the inclusion and employment of their members in almost all areas of governance and handling of human resource.

For instance all National and county government departments are expected to employ qualified counsellors to help its members.

This, too, will be expected in the private sector. Additionally, it is hoped that the perennial problem of dual relationships in most institutions like teacher-counsellor, nurse–counsellor, pastor-counsellor or psychiatrist-psychologist, human resources manager-cum-counsellor will be addressed.

Lastly, the Act could not have come at a better time when the country is plagued by very many issues that require to be addressed from a psychological perspective arising from the numerous terrorist attacks, a rise in gender-based and domestic violence, illicit alcohol consumption, substance abuse and general breakdown of morality that have left many people dead, maimed and families traumatised.

Mr Githongo, an advocate, is the initiator and drafter of the Bill. He is the chairperson of the Kenya Counselling & Psychological Association
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