The Counseling Centre of University of Cape Coast has taken a giant leap to launch the digital version of its counseling service.

The move is to join the University's digitization drive and make counseling services accessible to staff and students of the University. 

Prior to the introduction of this E-Counseling, the traditional face-to-face counseling service was the order of the day.

With the introduction of this technology, loggers- staff and students - can visit the University website to access online counseling services without moving to the various offices.

Launching the E-Counseling and Peer Counseling services, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Johnson Nyarko Boampong, in a speech read on his behalf by the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, lauded the Counseling Centre for the initiative.

He said the E-Counseling would be a boon to students and staff to access quality counseling with ease. He said it was the Centre's goal to increase counselors’ accessibility to "bridge the gap between the clients, mainly students, and the counselors." That, according to him, had led to peer counseling to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills to provide psycho social support to their colleague students, among others.

He noted that the Counseling Centre had taken Peer Counseling volunteers through the necessary training in communication, listening skills, ethics of peer Counseling, issues of confidentiality, basic Counseling skills, amongst others. 

"I strongly believe that this initiative will go a long way to strengthen the support system of students and increase the quality of their learning outcomes," he added.

He assured management’s support to the Centre to enable it live up to its mandate.

For his part, the Director of the Counseling Centre, Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony K. Nkyi, in a short remark, noted that academic success or outcome of students hinged on a sound mind and an atmosphere of peace, Peer Counseling and providing problem-solving ideas to help cope with challenges on campus.

"So whether it is cyber or peer counseling, access it and reap its benefits" he noted.

Dr. Nkyi said it was the hope of the Counseling Centre that "cyber counseling, peer counseling in addition to the face to face counseling will help both students and staff in their search for meaning in life."

The Dean of the Faculty of Educational Foundations, Prof. Godwin Awabil, chaired the launch.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC