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"id": 222603,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Wamunyinyi",
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"speaker": {
"id": 291,
"legal_name": "Athanas Misiko Wafula Wamunyinyi",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, this House grants leave for the introduction of a Bill for an Act of Parliament to make provision for the training, registration and licensing of psychological practitioners; to regulate their practice and standards and to ensure their participation in matters relating to guidance, counselling and therapeutic services in the community and for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is an important Motion which seeks to introduce a Bill that will put in place a Board to regulate members of the profession; psychologists, counsellors and all those providing such services like spiritual counselling and those related to that profession in this country. With increasing problems of psychological nature in the country and without any regulator, there are many counsellors practising in various offices and offering psychological services. Nobody can tell whether some of them are qualified or have received the necessary training or are equipped with the necessary knowledge to provide counselling. They do not provide those services for free. They do it at a fee. There are various training institutions which are training personnel in counselling. But that kind of curriculum and syllabus is not determined by anybody. With the increase in the need for counselling, it is necessary for us as leaders to come together and put in place some laws within which members of this profession will operate. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are specific areas which I would like to bring to the attention of hon. Members. Some of them we live with in our every day lives. We all know that there is guidance and counselling in schools and in most of our institutions. But if you take a teacher, for instance, who is responsible for guidance and counselling of students, he would be doing so generally, with the knowledge that he or she is an elder or is able to provide advice to the students. But that is an area that is professional and it is important that there should be a properly trained guidance and counsellor in every school in Kenya. At the same time, in schools, while preparing the students, particularly those leaving schools, it is usually career counselling. Unless one understands that aspect of psychological testing, you cannot determine and give the correct advice to one intending to choose a career for the future. Therefore, it is important that there are properly trained personnel to undertake that requirement. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, families all over, even in our communities, usually have problems in family and marriage and usually there is couple counselling provided. There are 1192 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 9, 2007 some very interesting cases in families that must be handled by a professional. There are various issues such as dysfunction, infidelity and so on. There are usually reasons which must be explored and advice provided. You can go on naming many issues to do with family that require counselling even when couples separate or transfer from one point to another. That usually affects the family. Even when they are dealing with a sick person in the family, the family is greatly affected and, therefore, there is need to have people to do that service. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other specific area of importance is that, as a community, we have young members of the community growing up. The changes that take place among the young people, particulary, the youth, as such that sometimes they get into very stormy sessions. There is need for adolescent counselling. Let them understand and expect certain changes that will occur in their lives, so that they are able to adjust and cope with, without necessarily getting involved in issues which will impact very negatively on their lives. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you are aware that we all expect, although this is not something that we pray for, that we have instances of major calamities that occur. One time, we had a bomb blast here and many people were injured, many were affected, lives were lost and, of course, it caused a lot of trauma. This trauma must be dealt with. We need professionals; people properly qualified to deal with traumatic cases arising from such incidents, and so that we are able to offer these services, there has to be proper training and standards laid down for people undertaking that purpose, doing that job. It is also important; we see accidents on our roads everyday and we see people injured. People get disabled at some elderly age."
}