The College of Counselling and Psychology invites its graduates to heal a hurting world as it celebrates its ninth graduation.

Rev. Prof. Samuel Oheneba-Dornyo, President of the College of Counselling and Psychology (CCP), has cautioned recent graduates to go out and cure the world.

Speaking at the 9th Graduation Ceremony, which was held at Haatso, Accra on Friday, April 26, 2024, with the theme “Healing a Hurting People: The Role of Professional Counsellors,” he stated that the world is in a difficult place and that the main benefit of training counselors is to give guidance and healing to a hurting world.

With a mission to educate and develop people’s talents and skills to become Professional Counsellors, the college president shared the college’s vision of becoming a world-class institution for training counselors who can heal a hurting world. The mission emphasizes the use of modern scientific tools and cutting-edge innovative training in traditional lecture form, distance learning, virtual campus models, and practical attachment under supervision.

He outlined the school’s historical development, saying that it was founded in 1998 as the International Theological Seminary in Accra, where it trained Christian counselors and ministers of the gospel. The school started the process of becoming accredited by the Ministry of Education’s National Accreditation Board (NAB) in 2004 (GES).

Prof. Oheneba-Dornyo emphasised that in 2013 they were given institutional authorization and invited to apply for affiliation. “Accreditation is a long process of meeting stringent requirements for educational assurance, quality, and high standards of excellence,” she said. “In 2014, we became affiliated with Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon,” stressed the CCP President.

Rev. Oheneba-Dornyo reports that the institution has been accredited and has submitted a Master of Arts in Counselling Programme and a Post Graduate Diploma to the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC). For these programs to begin shortly, the College is awaiting certification. “This is how far God has brought us,” declared the president of the institution with joy.

The school continues to pay an annual subscription fee to the world’s largest electronic library, which gives students access to over 5,000 uploaded books, articles, and journals in Counselling Psychology and allied fields of study, to push the school to new heights.

Prof. Oheneba-Dornyo claims that since 2014, the College has taught over 1000 counselors at the lay and para-professional levels, with training culminating in an Executive Certificate. “The cream of our students are Evangelicals, Catholics, Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Muslims, cutting across different professions such as Ministers of the Gospel, Medical Doctors, Human Resource Managers, Engineers, Soldiers, the Police, Immigration, Fire Service, and Customs etc.”

The CCP President disclosed that in addition to pupils from Ghana, they also have students from Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, Gambia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Examining the legal framework governing counseling in Ghana, Rev. Oheneba-Dornyo hinted that the Ghana Psychology Council (GPC) was established with the responsibility of overseeing the practice of applied psychology/counseling by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana through the passage of Act 857 of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013.

The GPC has granted the College of Counselling and Psychology authorization to conduct its programs as of 2016.

Okatakyie Ababio Boakye Danquah II, the Honorary Consul of the Consulate of Jamaica, the Managing Partner of Minka-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline & Partners, and the current Chairman of the National Communications Authority, was the occasion’s special guest of honor.

Dame (Dr) Mrs. Mary Anane-Mensah, Ag. Registrar of the College of Counselling and Psychology (CCP); Ms. Anna Plange, Ag. Registrar of the Ghana Psychology Council (GPC); Mr. Frank Owiredu-Yeboa, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Christian Counsellors (GACC) were among the other distinguished guests. The Rev. Prof. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, President of Trinity Theological Seminary in Legon; and Dr. Sampson Atiemo, Chairman of the Governing Council and Members of the Council, were also in attendance.