Sources of grief and nature of counselling to University of Zambia students: a case of school education

The purpose of this study was to identify sources of grief and nature of counselling offered to students at the University of Zambia (UNZA). The objectives of the study were; (i) to determine the sources of grief; (ii) establish the prevalence of grief; (iii) identify the nature of counselling offered to students at the University of Zambia. A case study design and qualitative methods were used to conduct this study. The population consisted of all students in the School of Education and counsellors at the University of Zambia. The sample comprised of 100 respondents, consisting of 96 students and four counsellors at the University of Zambia. Purposive sampling was used to select counsellors and snowball sampling was used to select the students for the study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The data was analyzed thematically. The study found that the sources of grief were; low academic grades, loss of relations, abortions, lack of accommodation, being beaten by fellow students, break up of relations, suicidal intention, lack of tuition fees, alcohol abuse and sickness. The prevalence of grief was high. As regards the nature of counselling services offered to students, it was established that psychosocial, financial and academic counselling were provided. In addition, pharma-psychology counselling was offered in collaboration with the University of Zambia clinic. However, the number of counsellors compared to the number of students who needed counselling was small. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the University of Zambia management should increase the number of counsellors at the Counselling Centre and counsellors should empower students with survival skills.
Key words: Sources of grief, grief counselling, survival skills.