Comprehensive Guidance and Counselling services at MCAST

Although the age range of MCAST students goes from 16 to 40 or even 60, the majority of them are in their late adolescence/young adults phase. This is a time when students achieve certain independence and take on adult responsibilities.

Experiencing this transition from childhood (dependence) to adulthood (independence), they go through psychological and sociological processes involving intellectual and emotional developments.

New MCAST students are also faced with the transition from secondary school life to post-secondary college life. They are expected to adjust quickly to new scenarios and to new peers. Once students register with MCAST and start their courses, each institute works out an induction programme.

Counsellors explain their services during these programmes and remind students that counselling services are there for all throughout the college year. Students are also made aware that MCAST counsellors work with them both on a vocational and personal level.

The process of counselling is an engagement between two persons - counsellor and student - where both are bound to change through the counselling venture. Counselling can be used as a vehicle for students to get more out of life. Personal counselling at MCAST is more growth-oriented and focuses on the future, on goals that provide direction in life and on the ability of the students to create their own destiny.

Trust is an important element in counselling and to achieve the students' trust counsellors need to show genuineness, respect, understanding, acceptance and a caring and non-judgmental attitude.

Youths are also associated with experimentation. Unfortunately this may include smoking, alcohol, substances, sexual activity and others. Furthermore, unexpected life events, such as illness, death, family problems, parental separation, examination stress, broken relationships (boyfriends/girlfriends) and friction with peers could influence these young adults in such a way as to lead them to becoming incapable of coping in the new circumstances.

Students are therefore encouraged to seek help and make use of these counselling services. In such difficulties, support, encouragement and understanding might help them cope better with their emotions.

Counselling is effective to the degree that students, through student-counsellor interaction are in a better position to manage challenging situations and/or develop the unused resources and opportunities of their lives more effectively.

The process includes:-

• Identify, explore and clarify their problem situations and unused opportunities

• Help students develop goals, objectives or agendas based on an action-oriented understanding of the problem situation - establishing priorities

• Help students develop action strategies for accomplishing goals, opportunities that will make a difference

• Help students act on what they have learnt both within and outside the counselling session.

The counselling service is there to help students and to offer encouragement to those students who have become discouraged. MCAST counsellors believe that their students have the energy and it is up to all adults involved to remove constraints and let them maximise their potential for their personal satisfaction and to bring positive benefits to society.

Group activities

From time to time group sessions among students are held at MCAST. Discussions range from "Stress management" to "Teamwork", from "Healthy lifestyles" to "Sexually transmitted infections" and "Smoking". Seminars are held with different groups as the need arises.

When national agencies or youth organisations, like Sedqa, the Health Promotion Unit, ACTS (Announcing Christ to Schools) and YWAV (Youth with a Vision), organise activities or surveys with MCAST students, counsellors facilitate and encourage participation in these enriching experiences.

Furthermore, students are encouraged by counsellors to participate in educational group activities held both at the college and outside, locally and abroad. Groups of students from the various institutes are encouraged to give their contribution on radio and television programmes all year round.

In all the nine institutes, counsellors urge students to participate in the innumerable opportunities offered to them through student exchanges. In a few cases parents need to be contacted to facilitate the process.

Counsellors see both to the individual needs of students as well as to group/class needs. In all classes and workshops, especially, it is important that students help each other and work as a team.

This team work leads to optimum individual and class results. There are several BTEC courses at MCAST, where assignments and final projects lead to certificates or diplomas. This is where teamwork is vital.

Counsellors give the service all year round to encourage students while working on their assignments. It is also fulfilling to be with the students when they proudly and smartly exhibit their projects on Open Days and at exhibitions, or when they are presented with certificates and diplomas on graduation days.

The team

To really offer the best service, MCAST counsellors team up with both the institute administrators and the main administration of the college. The team updates itself regularly with constant developments taking place at MCAST, for the welfare of all students.

Counsellors participate in senior management meetings, contribute to the formulation of MCAST policies, and work closely with the PDC (Professional Development Centre) at the college. The team also works with the Information Centre, Inclusive Education Unit and the NYIC (National Youth Information Centre).

At an international level, MCAST's Guidance and Counselling team has always welcomed visitors from all over Europe. These visits have encouraged counsellors to "think globally, act locally". The CEDEFOP delegation included professionals from Belgium, Norway, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Italy, France, Sweden, Lithuania, Turkey and Latvia.

Besides welcoming their European counterparts counsellors were also welcomed abroad when the MCAST team recently visited Ireland, Italy and the UK.

To keep abreast with changes in innovations in Psychology and Career Guidance each team member participates in national and international seminars, conferences and fora. At a national level, each year, MCAST counsellors are enriched through their participation in a Training Week organised by the MACP (Malta Association for the Counselling Profession).

From time to time MCAST counsellors also participate in activities organised by other local psychological bodies. Information and experiences gathered from these CPD (Continuous Professional Development) initiatives is shared by the team.

This enhances their performance as counsellors to assist students in helping them prioritise values, the most important of which, attitude - leading to a holistic development and personal fulfilment - which in turn will have a positive impact on society.

(Concluded)

Mr Bartolo and Ms Borg are principal counsellors at MCAST.