Guidance and Counselling Early Childhood Development Education

10/10/2015 1
Dr. Geoffrey Wango
Counselling Psychology
University of Nairobi

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Rationale
• Teachers and counsellors have a significant influence on the
child. This is because teachers and counsellors have an
immense understanding of children gained through working
closely with each other, interacting with several children,
consultations with parents and discussions with a variety of
professionals. It is therefore important that teachers and
counsellors, especially those working with children in early
childhood, gain expertise on working effectively with children at
this critical stage.
• Teachers and counsellors dealing with children in Early
Childhood Development and Education (EDCE) should be
equipped with knowledge and skills to assist such children.
• Among the essential skills is guidance and counselling,
coaching, and mentoring.
Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

10/10/2015 3
Rationale
• Teachers and counsellors dealing with children must both understand
the child and at the same time assist them along in their growth and
development. Children too come from diverse backgrounds.
Additionally, children even in early years may experience
psychological disturbance as a result of several factors. Guidance
and counselling of children is not the same as of adults. This is
majorly because the child-counsellor relationship is an interaction with
the child; it is even more demanding when assisting a child in utmost
need. Therefore, guiding and counselling children is highly dependent
on the personality, personal qualities and professional training of the
teacher and counsellor. Overall, the aim of guidance and counselling
is to enable the child understand self and others, and cope with life
experiences and challenges.
• This book assists teachers and counsellors, especially those working
with children in early childhood, gain expertise on working effectively
with children at this critical stage.

10/10/2015 4Early Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling
Early Childhood Development
and Education (EDCE)
-Teaching and Learning
(Knowledge and skills)
-Child Care and Concern
Guidance and Counselling,
Coaching and Mentoring
Early Childhood Development
and Education
Guidance and Counselling

10/10/2015 5
Objectives
(1) To establish the difference between guidance
and counselling of pupils in school.
(2) To identify some of the issues that pupils face
in school.
(3) To come up with an effective way of how
teachers, parents and counsellors can
effectively assist children in ECDE in a
collaborative way so as to produce well
rounded pupils and students in school.

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Purpose
To provide information and assistance to pupils
and students.
To improve the understanding of self.
To help in adapting to life changes or new
environment.
To provide efficient use of capabilities and talent.
To produce a well-rounded being.
To assist in psychological and educational needs.

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Content
1. Terms Used in Guidance and Counselling
2. Ethics and Principles in Guidance and Counselling
3. Qualities of an Effective Counsellor
4. Types and Stages in the Counselling Process
5. Skills and Techniques in Counselling
6. Management of Emotional and Psychological Challenges
7. Role of ECDE Trainers, Teachers and Parents in Guidance and
Counselling
8. Identifying, Counselling and Referring Children with Emotional
and Developmental Challenges
9. Identifying, Rehabilitating and Counselling Children with Special
Needs
10. Identifying and Counselling People affected by Drugs and
Substance Abuse
11. Supportive and Referral ServicesEarly Childhood Development Education, Guidance and Counselling

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Introduction
- Guidance and counselling practice has been part of
traditional and modern living.
- In traditional society guidance and counselling,
teaching, coaching and mentoring was provided by
parents, older children, relatives and elders.
- They guided and counselled young people in
matters of life.
- Girls and boys were equipped with life skills. This
was to prepare children and youth for adulthood.

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Introduction
- In the modern world, guidance and counselling is
still provided by parents, and in addition teachers
and counsellors.
- It is important for the teacher and counsellor in
Early Childhood Development and Education
(ECDE) to assist children in school, and guide
parents and guardians on the various challenges of
life.
- Modern life is full of challenges. The ECDE teacher
requires to identify some of the challenges faced by
children, especially in early development, in order to
assist them.

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Challenges of Modern Living
Challenges faced by children include:
-Growing up and challenges of upbringing
-Changing social relationships such as family, teachers and
community
-Starting school
-Academic performance
-Future career
These challenges need to be adequately addressed so that
they do not result in crises such as:
-School dropout
-Emotional disturbance
-Truancy and indiscipline

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Challenges of Modern Living
There are several challenges in modern living. These
challenges affect the child and may disrupt their
lives. They include the following:
-Divorce and separation
-Drug and substance abuse
-HIV and AIDS
-Family violence
-Child abuse
-Loss and Death, including of parent or relatives
Counsellors must learn how to help children and
assist parents to assist children.

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Guidance
- The term guidance is derived from its root word, ‘guide’,
which means to direct, pilot, manage, steer, aid, assist,
lead, inform or show the way. The counsellor directs, or
steers, the counsellee (client) in a certain direction or path
or to a certain course of action. The teacher counsellor is
the guide and assists the learner.
- When guiding children, you will be helping them to:
 Understand themselves
 Set realistic goals for themselves
 Develop their abilities and talents
 Plan a career in the future
 Understand their strengths and weaknesses

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- While guidance in its broader usage is strongly
established as an educational concept especially in the
school, it is not confined to education.
- Guidance is also used in relation to good parenting.
This for instance is valid in the parental role that
educational institutions, especially the school, are
frequently linked with, and in the role of teachers as
surrogate parents.
- The terms guidance and counselling are further linked
with the role of teaching and coaching, mentoring and
modelling of pupils/students by teachers and other
professionals.

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Counselling
- Counselling is a healing process through which the
teacher seeks to establish a relationship in which
the child can express his or her thoughts and
feelings on the situation.
- The counsellor has to have certain skills and
expertise. Skills and techniques enable the
counsellor to attend to the client with precision and
professional competence.
- The goal of counselling is to enable the client
experience a renewal of energy within the self to
enable him/her go on with their lives.

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Guidance Counselling
- It is more of information
giving. Thus, it is mainly
preventive and
developmental.
- It is more exploratory. Mutual
consultation and reasoning is
important.
- It is initiated by the
counsellor.
- It is initiated by the client /
counsellee.
- It is more general. - It is more personal and
confidential.
- It is based on factual
information or knowledge.
Decision-making is at an
intellectual level.
- It deals with feelings and
emotions. Counselling operates at
an emotional level.
- It can be achieved within a
short time.
- It is a process and therefore takes
more time.

Role of Teachers and Parents

Role of ECDE Trainers
ECDE trainers are responsible for the training of teachers. This includes
creating awareness on the importance of ECDE.
ECDE trainers perform the following roles:
1.Facilitating development to enhance support for child in ECDE.
2.Guiding and directing on the management of ECDE.
3.Collecting data on ECDE for action and implementation.
4.Conducting seminars, workshops and conferences for ECDE.
5.Providing linkages to assist in referral cases for complex issues. This
includes counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians,
hospitals and other centres.
6.Advocating and sensitizing on ECDE.
ECDE trainers also equip teachers and parents with knowledge and skills
to: (1) understand children and their behaviour; (2) assist children in pre-
schools; and, (3) identify children with emotional difficulty.

Role of ECDE Parents
A parent is the first teacher. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that they provide an
opportunity for the child to benefit from ECDE. Parents participate in the development of
education of their child by providing a conductive learning environment as follows:
1)Parents take and collect the child from school. This ensures the safety of the child.
2)Provide physical facilities and infrastructure. These include: classroom, toilet, playing
ground and kitchen.
3)Parents provide a healthy and nutritious diet for the child.
4)Pay any subsidies to assist in the day-to-day running of the school, including any extra
salaries. Parents also take part in fundraising activities.
5)Parents provide background and up-to-date information on the child. This includes medical
history and other relevant information such as special diet that is important to the teachers.
6)Parent can help identity certain challenges in a child. They can then discuss with the
teacher and counsellor, and thus allow for early intervention.
7)Parents check on homework and other important aspects such as health and nutrition of
the child.
8)Parents provide additional support such as technical knowledge in their area of expertise
such as construction and as guests. They can also donate materials for teaching and
learning.

Role of Teachers
Teachers in pre-school are in charge of the child at a tender age. The
teacher is therefore an important link for the child as they connect between
the home and the outside world. Teachers are surrogate parents and hence
offer care and concern for the child.
Duties and responsibilities of the teacher include:
1.Facilitating learning. It is the teacher who assists the child to learn. This is
by enforcing prior information and creating new knowledge and skills. In
addition, the teacher prepares and develops child-friendly teaching and
learning materials for use in class.
2.Parenting the child while in school. This requires that the teacher gives
attention, care and love to the child.
3.Guiding the child on appropriate conduct. Children at an early age learn
several activities including language and how to behave. This requires the
teacher to maintain the child’s interests while at the same time enhancing
the development of additional skills. These include observation, creativity,
turn-taking and reasoning.

Role of Teachers
4 Assisting and comforting the child. The child often misses out on their
parents. The child may feel abandoned and/or lonely – the teacher creates
a friendly relationship and comforts the child by reassuring them they are
safe and secure.
5 Identifying and assisting children with difficulties. The interaction throughout
the day between the child and the teacher enables keen observation of the
child. Teachers are able to identify children with adjustment problems or
learning difficulty and assist them. The teacher can also discuss with
individual parents.
6 Maintaining up-to-date administrative and professional records. The teacher
keeps and maintains records on the child including class attendance (class
register) and progress records as well as teaching and learning records
such as schemes of work, lesson plans and records of work.
Collaboration with the parent assists the child to adjust to schooling at an early
stage and also prepares the child for life in the outside world. This is to
enable the development of the child in various ways, that is, physically,
emotionally, socially, spiritually and psychologically.

Counselling and
Therapeutic Services

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Ethical Principles of Counselling
Ethics are sets of rules that influence a person’s behaviour. Counselling ethics
refer to the moral standards that guide the process and practice of
counselling. The six ethical principles of counselling are:
1)Beneficence. Counsellor must always promote the well-being of the client.
2)Non-maleficence. Counsellor offering assistance to a client must avoid
harming the client, in this case the learner.
3)Autonomy. Counsellor must respect the right of the individual person to take
responsibility for himself or herself, even if he or she is a child.
4)Fidelity. Counsellor must be trustworthy and committed to the counselling
relationship.
5)Justice. Counsellors must treat fairly all clients. This is based on
commitments to equal opportunities irrespective of any differences such as
gender, ethnicity, religion or social status.
6)Self-interest. Counsellor is encouraged to develop competence through
professional knowledge and personal development activities, in order to be
able to work effectively with the client.

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Counselling Skills and Techniques
Active listening
Use of silence
Probing
Questioning
Confrontation
Self disclosure
Encouraging the client
Reflection
Teaching
An effective counsellor
makes use of several skills
and techniques in order to
be effective in the
counselling process.

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Challenges / Interferences to effective
helping
Transference and Countertransference
Cultural and Religious bias (based on differences in
traditional / belief (or faith) systems)
Biasness and stereotyping of client
Attachment to client (child)
Sympathy and apathy
Lack of empathy (compassionate fatigue)
Labelling and categorization
Rehearsing (often based on stereotypes and misconceptions)
Obstacles and distractions to active listening. This includes
poor listening (inadequate listening, filtered listening,
sympathetic listening, evaluative listening)

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Management of Emotional and
Psychological Challenges
- Emotional and
psychological problems
can affect a child’s
development and in turn
interfere with learning.
- There are signs that a
teacher and counsellor
can observe among the
children.
- It is important for the
teacher to identify some of
the emotions and assist
the child in class.
- Loss of interest in class
- Poor concentration
- Restlessness
- Sleeping in class
- Destruction of property
- Hating and harming other
children
- Acting out
- Isolation and withdraw,
including refusal to play with
others
- Mistrust of adult/s

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Management of Emotional and Psychological
Challenges
Although fear and anxiety are a normal part of everyday life,
these feelings can become intense and disruptive. The child
should be assisted to live a normal life. As much as possible,
teachers and counsellors should prevent anxiety through
assisting the child by imparting coping skills such as
communication and assertive skills as follows:
- Identifying the cause of the anxiety.
- Assisting the child to calm down through relaxation
techniques.
- Teaching the child to cope with fear and anxiety through
frequent exercises.
- Showing love and empathy to the child.
- Verbal assurances.

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Challenges
- Allowing and encouraging the child to share their fears and
worries.
- Challenging negative thoughts in the child.
- Confronting the child’s fears in a safe, controlled environment,
for example by keeping things in perspective. For a child who
fears insects and animals such as a spider, chameleon or wild
animals, let him or her know that they are part of living things
and the natural environment.
- Ensuring child is safe and secure, for example by changing
the environment when this is too hostile, such as when a child
is living in an abusive home.
- In extreme cases, the child should be referred to a specialist.

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Challenges
Children who are emotionally and psychologically disturbed will
often withdraw from classroom activities and may have poor
relationships with teachers and other children. The counsellor can
assist the child as follows:
-Relaxation through exercise such as breathing in and out,
swimming, games and play, and other activities.
-Talking to the parent to find out the cause of the problem and
guiding them on healthy eating.
-Story-telling to reduce stress.
-Allowing the child enough rest and sleep.
-Providing a quiet environment for learning.
-Allowing the children to share their experiences.
-Using other ways such as play, games, songs and dances to
sooth the mind.

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Duties and Responsibilities of the ECDE
Teacher
Facilitate learning in classroom.
Give children attention guide and assist them while
in school.
Assume the role of parents while in school.
Prepare the teaching and learning materials.
Observe the behavior of children while in school.
Identify and nurture the talent in children.
Identify and assist children with special needs, make
appropriate referral.
Make and update professional records.

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Identifying, Counselling and Referring
Children with Emotional and
Developmental Challenges
- Children, like adults, face several challenges in the growing
up process. Some children may experience emotional and
developmental challenges.
- In school, such children will behave differently from other
learners.
- Teachers and counsellors should be able to identify
behaviour differences to enable them understand why
pupils behave the way they do.
- Some of the emotional and developmental challenges
among children in school are outlined.

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Identifying, Counselling and Referring
Children with Emotional and
Developmental Challenges
 Aggression
 Bullying
 Over - anxiety
 Truancy
 Rudeness
 Lateness
 Thumb sucking
 Withdrawing
 Hyperactivity

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Child Mental Health and Well Being
A child's health and well-being includes emotional stability and mental health. The
following ten (10) tips are suggested to enhance child mental health:
1)Ensure child is safe, secure and in good health.
2)Always be there for the child, physically present and emotionally supportive.
3)Bend or lean over to offer a listening ear. Keenly listen to the child and particularly
their concerns. This includes questions, fears and anxiety.
4)Allow child adequate breaks at home, school, between meals an when feeding. For
example, do not confine them to any one single activity for too long no matter how
meaningful you consider it as an adult.
5)Ensure child is always supervised by responsible adults in order to feel safe and
secure.
6)Model politeness and forgiveness. This shapes child and enables them to
effectively regulate their emotions.
7)Allow child active play that includes politeness and turn taking. Also, allow him or
her to express their feelings in appropriate ways.
8)Respond calmly and encourage the child when their emotions are involved.
9)Reassure child of their safety and security especially when threatened.
10)Take time with child to reassure them of your support, care and concerns.

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Child Mental Health and Well Being
If child has committed an offence, take time to guide child appropriately.
The following are highly discouraged:
1)Do not quarrel the child. Instead, guide him or her in appropriate ways.
2)Do not ignore the child - pay careful attention including listening to him
or her.
3)Do not belittle the child – point out any mistakes, state your
expectations and guide child.
4)Do not keep child in (solitary) confinement for unnecessary too long.
5)Do not deny child basic needs such as food and sleep as a punishment.
6)Avoid insulting words and asking hurtful questions – when you are
upset, calm down or take a quick break in order to control your anger.
7)Avoid lecturing child, moralizing their issues and offering unnecessary
advice – teach, model and shape them.

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Professional Ethics
- Counselling is an important and sensitive process that touches on a
person’s life. A counsellor performs a special function in the school,
especially when working with children.
- Counselling as a profession is guided by professional ethics, principles
and standards.
- The counsellor will observe ethical guidelines to protect both the child
and the counsellor.
The basic ethical issues in counselling are:
(1)Beneficence
(2)Non-maleficence
(3)Autonomy
(4)Fidelity
(5)Justice
(6)Self-interest.

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Supportive and Referral Services
From time to time, the counsellor will come across certain cases that
they feel are too difficult for them to handle. This may be in relation to
any one of the following:
•Severe emotional disturbances
•Extremely aggressive behaviour
•Highly traumatized child
•Sexually abused child such as rape, defilement and incest
•Learners with learning difficulties
•Legal issues
•Self injurious behaviour and suicidal tendencies
•Depression
•Drug and substance abuse
•Learners who have suffered or witnessed violence
•Family related problems or issues
•Other specialized counselling needs

10/10/2015 38
Supportive and Referral Services
There are several institutions that can assist with various
issues. They include the following:
National and County Hospitals
Mathari Mental and Referral Hospital
Kenyatta National Hospital
Nairobi Women’s Hospital
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development
Kenya Institute of Special Education
School Guidance and Counselling Centres
Educational Assessment Resource Centres
HIV and AIDS Testing and Counselling Centres
Rehabilitation centres
Reputable Children Homes
Hospice and palliative care centres

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References
Wango, G. M., Kimani, P. W., Osaka, J., Githinji, S. N., & Amayo, R. A.
(2015). Early Childhood Development Education Guidance and
Counselling. Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau.

10/10/2015 40
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