Leaders of the Guidance and Counselling Association of the Ghana Education Service in Greater Accra have stressed the need for early and sustained emotional support for students, warning that many behavioural and academic challenges begin at a young age.
Speaking on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV, President Kofi Yeboah Dadzie and Vice President Sally Mbia-Coleman said professional counselling remains crucial in helping young people navigate adolescence and social pressures.
Mr Dadzie said many of the problems seen among senior high school students often start much earlier and require attention from the basic school level.
“We are coming down… taking it down to the JHS,” he said. “Tap it from the grass. Because most of the challenges that we see now started from somewhere.”
He explained that counselling is not about telling students what to do, but helping them understand themselves and make informed choices.
“The child will come with his or her problems. So you are helping to navigate those challenges,” he said.
Ms Mbia-Coleman said trained counsellors play an important role in supporting students’ emotional and psychological wellbeing, especially during adolescence.
“When you look at academic, social, even their psychological makeup, it’s all those with a counsellor,” she said.
She noted that female students, in particular, rely on counsellors when trust and confidentiality are properly established.
“Your attitude and how you establish rapport with those girls allow them to come to you,” she said.
The two leaders also expressed concern about how modern pressures and changing attitudes among young people are affecting their mental and emotional health.
Referring to today’s generation, the host raised concerns about Gen Z students and their strong sense of independence. In response, Mr Dadzie said counselling helps young people manage these realities.
“It becomes difficult when you are advising them,” he said. “But counsellors don’t advise. You are guiding them.”
Ms Mbia-Coleman added that counselling should extend beyond the classroom to sports and extracurricular activities.
“There’s supposed to be a counsellor who coach them,” she said. “So that they will know it’s a game of chance and we will not be seeing all this violence.”
The leaders also highlighted the importance of involving parents in supporting students’ mental wellbeing.
Through career guidance and outreach programmes, counsellors engage families to help them better understand their children’s strengths and limitations.
“A lot of parents choose a career that has not suited their children,” Ms Mbia-Coleman said. “So this time, we involve parents.”
Mr Dadzie said many students benefit from counselling without realising it, particularly through group sessions.
“We have the individual counselling and the group counselling,” he said.
“Maybe you benefited from the group counselling unconsciously.”
However, both officials said lack of funding and weak public understanding continue to limit their work.
They also criticised the growing tendency for untrained individuals to assume counselling roles.
“Everybody sees himself as a counsellor,” Mr Dadzie said.
Ms Mbia-Coleman compared the situation to driving without the right licence.
“You cannot assume the role of a truck driver when you are driving a saloon,” she said.
The leaders called for stronger institutional and community support to strengthen counselling services, insisting that early emotional guidance is key to building confident, disciplined and resilient students.
