Influence of Teacher-Counsellors’ Personal Experience with Grief on Their Current Grief Counselling Competence in Public Secondary Schools in Kisii County, Kenya

Dr. Zacharia O. Mokua & Dr. Grace Atemi – Kisii University, Kenya
Email: ondieki.zachary@yahoo.com

Received July 7, 2020; Revised July 17, 2020; Accepted July 15, 2020

Abstract: Teacher-counsellors are expected to offer grief counselling to grieving students despite the fact that they also encounter personal death related loss. This study was therefore undertaken to explore the influence teacher-counsellors’ personal experience with grief has on their current grief counselling competence in public secondary schools in Kisii County.
A convergent parallel mixed methods design and Bowlby’s Theory of Loss and Attachment were utilized. A sample of 181 respondents who were obtained through simple random sampling provided data using a questionnaire and interview guide. Univariate and thematic approach which was supported by narratives were used in data analysis. The analysis revealed that all the respondents had experienced loss of a loved one. The study established that personal experience with grief improved their competence in grief counselling. Flooding with the painful event of grief helped them to minimize fear as it exposed them to the reality of the phenomenon. The study recommended that teacher-counsellors should have sometimes within the term when they can be exposed to grieving people in hospitals as a way of increasing their competence in grief counselling. Additionally, the study proposed that teacher-counsellors go through grief counselling training by way of seminars, workshops or training institutions or online in order to augment their competence in grief counselling.