Access and utilization of counseling and guidance services by Makerere University students at the Makerere University Counseling and Guidance Centre

Abstract

While Makerere University established a counseling and guidance center (thereafter referred to as The Center) to offer services to students and staff, it is not clear how students are accessing and utilizing these services. Knowing how students access and utilize these services is essential given the general consensus that counseling services are critical in promoting students’ general wellbeing and particularly their academic success. Given the limited existing evidence regarding levels of access and utilization of counseling and guidance services among Makerere University students, I conceived this study as an attempt to; describe the nature of counseling and guidance services available at the center; assess student’s levels of awareness of the services provided at the center; assess the levels of access to services provided at the center; examine the levels of utilization of these services; and assess the barriers to access and utilization of the services provided at the center. In implementing the study, I employed a descriptive survey design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A total of 171 students were randomly selected from College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS). The two colleges were purposively selected. A structured questionnaire was administered to students. Two key informant interviews were conducted from a senior counselor at the Makerere university counseling and guidance center and a lecturer at Makerere University. For quantitative data, descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Data is presented using percentages, graphs and tables. Statistical analysis show that majority of students (79%) were aware of the existence of counseling services at the center. More females (84%) than males (73%) were aware of counseling services. Of these, 23% were male students at CEDAT, 13% were females at CEDAT. From CHUSS, there were 23% male and 41% female who were aware of the services at the counseling center. While 79% were aware of the services, about 27% had ever accessed them. Amongst those who had ever accessed the services, about a half (54%) were females and 46% were male. About 23% said they had utilized these services. In terms of nature and type of counseling, individual counseling which means a private one on one session with a trained counselor, was the most frequently used service with 44% of the respondents. Amongst these 44%, 24% were females while 20% were males. One of the reasons why individual counseling was most accessed is because it addresses personal challenges that students face during their academic journey. Academic guidance which is support provided to students to help them navigate their educational journey and achieve their goals was the least utilized with 11%. This means that students focus more on their mental wellbeing than other issues. According to barriers, 19% of the students didn’t know about the services meaning they could not access something they were not aware about. Those that feared judgment were 17%. Lack of time to access the services as another barrier had 14%. Those that didn’t feel like they needed help were also 27%. While those that said the services were not available when they needed to access them, were 23%. Of all these, CHUSS students were 68%. CEDAT students were 32%. Female students were 53%. Male students were 47%. Most of the students know about the counseling services but few use them. Many of them use the services for personal problems. The university should create more awareness and make the services easier to access.