The role of guidance and counselling in a peaceful school

Every Kenyan secondary school is required to have a guidance and counselling department. In practice, the effectiveness of this function varies enormously — from a genuinely trusted resource that students turn to proactively, to a nominal office that exists on the organisational chart but is rarely used because students do not trust it or do not know how to access it.

The schools that have successfully navigated periods of tension without incident consistently report that a functioning guidance and counselling department was part of what made the difference — not because counsellors prevent unrest single-handedly, but because they are often the first to sense when something is wrong, and they provide students an outlet that reduces the pressure that would otherwise build toward conflict.

What makes a guidance and counselling department actually work

Genuine confidentiality

Students will only use a counselling service if they trust that what they share will not be immediately reported back to the principal or used against them disciplinarily. A guidance counsellor who is perceived as an extension of the disciplinary system, rather than a separate, trusted resource, will not be used by the students who need it most.

This requires principals to be explicit — with staff and students — about the boundaries of what counsellors will and will not disclose, and to genuinely respect those boundaries in practice, even when it is professionally inconvenient.

Accessibility

A counsellor who is only available by formal appointment, during a narrow window, in an office students have to be seen entering, will be underused. Schools that get this right create informal, low-visibility access points — a counsellor who is present during break times in a common area, or a simple, private way for a student to request a conversation without announcing it to the whole school.

Proactive, not only reactive

The most effective guidance and counselling functions do not wait for students to seek them out. Structured sessions — a form-level talk on managing exam stress, a session on peer pressure and substance use, a group discussion on adjusting to boarding life for new students — normalise the idea that seeking support is routine, not a sign that something is seriously wrong. This makes it much easier for a student with a genuine, serious concern to come forward, because the stigma of “seeing the counsellor” has already been reduced.

Counselling and exam pressure

Senior school in Kenya carries substantial academic pressure, particularly for Grade 12 students facing their final assessments. A guidance and counselling programme that actively addresses exam-related stress — teaching students practical coping strategies, normalising anxiety as a common experience rather than a personal failing, and identifying students who are struggling before they reach crisis point — reduces one of the significant sources of tension that can contribute to broader unrest during high-pressure periods of the school calendar.

Resourcing the function properly

Many Kenyan schools assign guidance and counselling responsibilities to a teacher as an additional duty on top of a full teaching load, with little time genuinely available for the role. Where possible, protecting dedicated time for this function — even a few hours a week that are genuinely ring-fenced and not eroded by other demands — signals to students and staff that it is a real priority, not an afterthought.

Training on referral, not just listening

Guidance counsellors in Kenyan schools are rarely qualified clinical psychologists. Their most important skill is often knowing when a student’s needs exceed what the school can provide, and having a clear referral pathway to external professional support. A counsellor equipped with knowledge of local referral options — county hospital psychiatric services, organisations like Befrienders Kenya, or Kenya Red Cross psychosocial support — can connect a student to appropriate help rather than attempting to manage something beyond the school’s capacity.