Insecurity: Don Harps on Effective Utilization of Guidance and Counselling

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

A professor of guidance and counseling at Osun State University, Professor Florence Adeoti Yusuf, has posited that guidance and counselling
programmes have positive effects in forestalling insecurity in the society.

Professor Yusuf spoke during her Inaugural lecture series 024 at the Osun State University, Osogbo on the Theme “Challenging Dominant Narratives Heterodox and Transforming Counselling Practices for Social Justice and Change”.

The don equally noted that apart from controlling deviant behaviours and other delinquencies among the youths. the effective utilization of guidance and counselling services can as well inculcate in the youth the spirit of consciousness that promotes peace, conflict resolution and national security .

She emphasised that Guidance and counselling services can also equip the youths with the knowledge and skills that will help bring about peace through better understanding.

The Don also stressed that such services will enable youth to acquire constructive and peaceful problem-solving skills that promote national security, at the same have inculcating in them consciousness for managing conflicts without resorting to violence and developing non-violent conflict resolution skills and
spirit of commitment to working to realize a shared and preferred future.

According to her “Through effective guidance and counselling services, the values of peace, conflict resolution and national security which include,
among others, respect for life, sharing with others, rejecting of violence, sense of justice, listening ability and solidarity would be inculcated into early stages of educational process to enable learners to imbibe the right values that will guide them throughout their life time.”

“It is informative from the foregoing that guidance and counseling services are vital instruments for attaining human development, especially during adolescent stage which is being characterized by rapid growth and change in physical, social, spiritual, moral and intellectual aspects of life.”

The don posited that “Our society today is plagued with cultural norms and expectations that limit individual potential. Women especially are faced with social class Disparities, Sigma, gender roles and stereotypes,
poverty and financial struggles, systemic Injustice, inequality and social exclusion, peer pressure, bullying, body image concerns and family conflicts”.

She remarked that these issues call for counselling Practices that will transform and bring changes to our society.

She further stressed that “Guidance is viewed as a number of highly specialized activities implemented by specialists to help an individual in making wise decisions. It is a process designed to assist an individual to decide what he or she wants to do and how best to do it
so as to yield a Positive result.”

She also observed that there was the need for the school counsellor to assist every child by molding their future through counselling therapy, saying Counselling is a learning process through which the counsellor
helps individuals to learn, relearn, understand themselves and their environment.

Don however noted that the main philosophy of guidance services is to make a person happy because a guidance worker enlightens and reduces the tension that the person is facing as Contemporary society is full of various social vices ranging from crimes to bullying, drug abuse, emotional abuse, sexual assault.