PEER COUNSELING EXPERIENCE AMONG SELECTED KENYAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

With current socio-technological changes and educational demands, Counseling is becoming a major area of concern for in-school youths. The large number of students in schools, limited number of trained teacher counselors, heavy work load, socio-economic and technological changes all put pressure on the teachers, students, parents and society. No wonder, there is frequent demand for counseling to help address some of these problems. Whereas Guidance and counseling in Secondary schools should help the students: plan and prepare for their work roles after high school, with personal growth and development, plan and prepare for postsecondary schooling, and with their academic achievement in high school. Most Kenyan students need much more than these four major areas. They require direction, understanding, appreciation and modeling for them to get focused in their work. This paper is going to present Peer Counseling approaches that have been used by Kenyatta University Peer Counselors Outreach (KUPCO) members and staff to address some of these issues in selected secondary schools in rural Kenya. It will bring out challenges, experience and benefits that have been realized over time. It will further examine the need for adjustment; lessons learnt and differences in mixed, single sex boarding and day schools