Counselling Expert to practitioners: Seek more knowledge on counselling theories and applications.
A counselling expert, Mrs. Olotu Catherine, has advised practicing Counsellors to seek constantly for more knowledge on counselling theories, in order to enable them provide solutions to the needs of their clients.
Olotu made the statement, while speaking at a two-day capacity building workship organised by the Directorate of Counselling, Human Development and Career Service Centre (CHDCSC) Adeyemi Federal University of Education (AFUED), Ondo, Ondo State.
The programme themed: “Enhancing Counselling Skills for Effective Management”, took place on Tuesday September 29 and Wednesday 30, 2026, at the Directorate’s library in the University.
In her address of welcome, the Acting Director, Directorate of Counselling, Human Development and Career Services Centre, AFUED, Mrs. Janet Funmilayo Adisa, explained that the workshop was organized for the purpose sharpening the skills of the counsellors, in order to improve their efficiency, and to contribute positively to society.
Adisa advised the participants to pay attention to the training, while expressing optimism, that the outcome of the exercise, would be beneficial to the Directorate and the University at large.
Speaking on “Enhancing Counselling Skills for Effective Management”, the renowned counselling expert, Mrs. Olotu Catherine dealt on issues relating Career Counselling and Professional practice.
According to her, “a counsellor is not just a good listener, but somebody who does more than listening”. She analysed counselling process as including listening, understanding, assessing, formulating, intervening and reviewing.
Her words: “We listen to the clients story, we try to understand what is happening, we assess what is relevant, we develop a working understanding of the case, we choose an appropriate intervention, then we review whether the intervention is helping”, she remarked.
On the misconception, which some people have about the meaning of counselling, which they narrow down to giving of advice, the workshop facilitator, said this is not true.
According to her, “Counselling is not advice-giving”, though, it may sometimes be appropriate”, She, however, stressed the need for counsellors to go beyond giving advice, by making efforts to gather more information about the clients history, in order to be able to justify the advice to be given.
The workshop facilitator spoke on wide application of counselling service in diverse human callings such as teaching, mentoring coaching, pastoral support, career guidance, psychological support and crisis management, she, therefore, advised practitioners to seek constantly for more knowledge, in order to improve their skills in the profession.
Olotu emphasized importance of good counselling, she, however, stated that “good counselling is not about how quickly we can respond to a problem, it is about how accurately we understand what we are responding to”, she remarked.
The two-day training workshop, which held at the CHDCSC Library in the University, was attended by counsellors in the Directorate, as well as some staff from the University’s Directorate, of Information and Public Relations.
