Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Global Media Alliance (GMA) Group, Ernest Boateng has awarded the distinction class of the 2022 batch of graduating counselors at the College of Counseling and Psychology (CCP) with an amount of GHC10,000.
Mr. Ernest Boateng additionally awarded them with the ‘Global Media Alliance Excellence Awards’ during the 7th graduation ceremony where he was the special Guest of honour.
The 2022 graduation ceremony of the College of Counseling and Psychology themed, “The Need for Mental Health in Ghana: A Case for Counseling” out-doored a total of 99 certified counseling professionals into the Ghanaian community, including Host of Happy98.9FM’s ‘Nsempi show,’ Rev. Nyansa Boakwa.
Speaking on the theme, Mr. Ernest Boateng commended the CCP for its accomplishment in nurturing and developing professional counselors from all walks of life. He further expressed his passionate concern on issues of mental health and its impact on society.
“Personally, I have keen interest mental health issues and interventions needed to support and improve our societal understanding of such matters. Counseling; an intervention proven to be one of the therapeutic techniques in managing anxiety, depression and other mental health related issues is taught effectively in this noble institution. Indeed, the Bible recognizes the intense stresses of everyday living and admonishes us in 1st Peter 5:7b to cast all our anxiety unto God for he cares for us. Indeed, there are countless references in the bible that addresses the challenges of mental health. The issue of mental health and how we respond to it is one of the things I am very passionate about. At Global Media Alliance (GMA), we try to champion and support campaigns and activities that protect and promote quality mental health. Globally, mental health is recognized as extremely important to the well-being of the individual and society and how it can affect every facet of life,” he said.
Addressing the congregation, the CEO of GMA indicated that people in our part of the world are highly exposed to mental health risks due to the rate of poverty, stress, child abuse, discrimination and other traumatic experiences. However, people fail to seek help due to the stigma associated with issues of mental health.
Mr. Ernest Boateng also expressed worry with the number of counselors available to the public in assisting with the issues of mental health . He urged the graduates to be circumspect in their practice.
“Despite the massive number of Ghanaians faced with mental health issues, there seem to be a deficit in the required number of health care personnel and counselors. As a country, a lot more attention should be given to that area to prevent people from resorting to amateurs. The advent of social media provides constant evidence of horrendous actions meted out to people who confide in amateur and unprofessional counselors. The mental health of this nation depends on you , go out there and play your roles as counselors who contribute to quality mental health delivery,” He added.
The College of Counseling and Psychology (CCP) formally referred to as the International Theological Seminary (ITS) a premier and solely biased faith-based college that trains professionals in counseling and psychology in Ghana. It’s vision is to be a world-class institution for training counselors capable of healing a hurting world. CCP is excited to offer education that develops talents and skills for individuals using modern scientific tools and cutting-edge innovative training in the traditional lecture form, distance learning, virtual campus model of education and practical attachment under clinical supervision.
Visit http://www.yfmghana.com for more information.
