DeKUT Directorate of Student Welfare

Counseling

Counseling services are geared towards addressing students’ personal or emotional problems that get in their way and hinder them from realizing their full academic and personal potential. Students accessing counseling services are either seen as individual clients or in group in a single session or several sessions depending on the issue being addressed. Most clients seek counseling services on voluntary basis whereas other clients are referred by their friends, the staff or the University management.

Peer counseling services are also provided through the Counseling Department. The role of Peer counselors is to provide support to other students who enable competence in management of mental health difficulties or studies. All counseling cases are treated with utmost confidentiality. The counselors participate in other social activities such as follow-up (post care) services.

Dedan Kimathi University of Technology has invested heavily to empower her students with all the relevant skills to be able to compete in the ever dynamic world which has very many challenging moments. The University has established counseling to help the students deal with the various challenges.

The vision of the department is to be a leading counseling centre that promotes positive attitude and behavior change. The department hopes to achieve this by developing the potential of students and staff.
The department is able to achieve this by offering counseling services for the students and the staff. The department has been having individual and group counseling both in the main campus and in Town Campus.

Our goal is to equip students with skills that will assist them cope or deal with various stresses inherent in their college experience and help them make the most out of their educational opportunities. The following are services provided at the counseling center:-

1. Personal one-on-one Counseling
2. Group Counseling
3. Career Counseling
4. Awareness programs (on such health issues as drug and substance abuse among others)
5. Life skills development

Peer counseling

The department trains every year sixty peer counselors. The peer counselors are given comprehensive training once per academic year.
The peer counselors conduct peer counseling among the students, they then conduct peer counseling meetings and case conferencing fortnight. They also engage in outreach programs to the neighboring schools at least twice per semester.

Drug and Substance abuse

The department takes a major role in prevention of substance abuse through:

a) Conducting survey on drug and substance abuse once per academic year.
b) Conducting public lectures / workshops at least once per semester.

HIV/AIDS prevention

The department has played a major role in mitigating HIV and AIDS. There are various programmes and innovative activities that have been undertaken to address the challenges of HIV /AIDS in the University. They include
a) Conducting public lectures / workshops at least once per semester.
b) Having training of trainers’ certificate courses.
c) Organizing free voluntary counseling testing VCT.
d) Co-operating and networking with other departments in the University and other bodies outside the University.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm

The Counseling office is located within the Students’ Welfare Department in the new resource centre Building phase two. We provide quality and comprehensive counseling services to enrolled students at the university and the DeKUT Community. Our services are geared towards assisting clients with a variety of personal, academic, social and career concerns that may be interfering with the ability to succeed while at DeKUT. Our approach is collaborative, goal-oriented, and multi-culturally sensitive aimed at promoting greater mental health and well being.

All services provided at the counseling center are confidential and free of charge.