Uganda

IAC Member Associations & Organizations

Interested in your association becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Counselling Associations & Organizations

Uganda Counselling Association

Uganda Christian Counsellors Association

Uganda Counselling and Support Services

IAC Education Institute Members

Interested in your education institute becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Education Institutes

Kampala International University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Science in Guidance and Counselling, Master of Counselling Psychology, Master of Psychiatry  

Kyambogo University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Guidance and Counselling, Master of Counselling Psychology, Master of Organisational Psychology, PhD in Educational Psychology

Nkumba University

• Programme Types: Certificate in Guidance and Counselling, Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Science in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Arts in Community Based Development, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Master of Science in Counselling Psychology, PhD in Counselling Psychology

University of the Sacred Heart Gulu

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Counselling Psychology 

Victoria University Kampala

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration

Bishop Stuart University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Community Psychology, Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, Postgraduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Postgraduate Diploma In Counselling, Master of Science In Counselling Psychology, Master of Social Work

Mountains of The Moon University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Guidance and Counselling  

Africa Renewal University

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration 

Ankole Western University

• Programme Types: HIV/AIDS Counselling, Marriage and Family Counselling (Short course), Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration 

Team University

• Programme Types: Certificate in Social Work and Social Administration, Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, Master of Science in Human Resource Management (Counselling and Guidance subject is given)

Lira University

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Science in Community Psychology and Psychotherapy

Ndejje University

• Programme Types: Certificate in Guidance and Counselling, Diploma in Guidance & Counselling, Diploma in Social Work & Social Administration, Bachelor of Guidance and Counselling with Education, Bachelor of Community Psychology, Bachelor of Social Work & Social Administration, Master of Arts in Guidance and Counselling with Education, Master of Educational Psychology, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Master of Arts in Guidance and Counselling

East African Professional Counselling Institute Limited

Makere University

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Community Psychology, Bachelor of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Master in Counselling, Master of Educational Psychology, Master of Organizational Psychology, Master of Clinical Psychology 

Uganda Christian University

• Programme Types: Diploma of Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Master of Social Work

Uganda Martyrs University

• Programme Types: Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counselling, Certificate in HIV/AIDS Counselling, Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Bachelor of Social Development and Counselling, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Master of Mental Health Counselling Psychology (with four areas of specialisation: Gerontology; Child and Adolescent Counselling; Marital Counselling; Addictive Behaviours and Addiction Counselling)

Islamic University in Uganda

• Programme Types: Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration

Bugema University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Counselling, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Social Administration

Kampala University

• Programme Types: Guidance and Counselling (Short course), HIV/AIDS Counselling (Short course), Group and family Counselling (Short course)

Kabale University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration

African Bible University

• Programme Types: Audience Psychology (2hrs), Educational Psychology 1 (3hrs), Educational Psychology 2 (3hrs) (Short course)

Ibanda University

• Programme Types: Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Administration 

Metropolitan International University

• Programme Types: Bachelor of Social Works and Social Administration  

Kayiwa International University

• Programme Types: Guidance and Counselling, Social Work and Social Administration (Undergraduate Course)

St Lawrence University Uganda

• Programme Types: Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Guidance and Counselling, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration

IAC Member Centres/Group Practices

Interested in your centre/group practice becoming an IAC member? Find more information here.

Additional Centres/Group Practices

New Dawn Counselling Psychotheraphy

Apple Hidden Treasure – Uganda/International Counselling – Kampala

Amani Psychotherapy & Advocacy Centers

StrongMinds

Healing Talk Counselling Service

Inspiration Center Uganda

Tumaini Counselling Centres

Counselling in Uganda can be traced from its roots and foundations in three areas such as non formal guidance system offered in the traditional system, family, guidance and counselling which are offered in schools for choosing subjects and careers and counselling offered to curb the 30-year epidemic of HIV/AIDS (Senyonyi, Ochieng, & Sells, 2012)

Counselling in Uganda has been a major contributing factor in the fight against HIV/AIDS (Uganda Counselling Association [UCA], 2007). In order to deal with the issue with a high number of people that are infected in the diseases the counselling services are provided and often train counsellors. The services provided by HIV centres since 1990 included voluntary counselling and testing (VCT). There is a move now to community-based counselling as an attempt to broaden and add depth to HIV/ AIDS counselling (Balmer, Seeley, & Bachengana, 1996; Kaleeba et al., 1997).

On the other hand, the profession of Guidance and Counselling in schools were supported by the Ministry of Education and Sports which was established in 1968 to streamline counselling in school (MOE, 2004). The Department of Guidance and Counselling became autonomous in 2008 and is instrumental in spearheading counselling programs in schools (MOE, 2010). The services are available in school both in primary and secondary, universities.

An important step in the development of professional counselling has been the establishment of (UCA), an NGO formed in March 2002 to bring together all professional counsellors in Uganda.

Currently, UCA has more than 800 members with 15 corporate associates that include institutions of higher learning, HIV/AIDS service organizations, and government departments. The objectives of UCA are to provide a forum for professional counsellors, create an enabling environment for the ethical and professional practice of counselling, encourage the provision of quality counselling, and promote professionalism through education and training. 

Associations, counselling centres, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), hospitals, government health centres, private owned medical and counselling clinics, churches, communities, workplaces, police stations, and prisons (Senyonyi, Ochieng, & Sells, 2012).

• Counselling has not been embraced by many Ugandans, and there are some who hold negative attitudes toward the practice, especially where there are still strong superstition and myth practices.
• Counsellor training in Uganda is conducted in English, the official language used in schools, yet most clients express themselves more fluently in their native tongue. Language diversities often become a stumbling block to effective multi-cultural counselling and assessment and hinder the counselling process when clients cannot express the complexity of their thoughts and feelings or discuss effectively charged issues because of language barriers (Romero, 1985). 
• The current challenge for most schools is a lack of trained counsellors.
• Data that has been reported estimated that 1,101,317 people were living with HIV, with up to 350,000 people believed to have AIDS in Uganda (Government of Uganda, 2010). 

For more information about the counselling profession in the state, interested readers are encouraged to read the following journal and website articles:

• Balmer, D. H., Seeley, J., & Bachengana, C. (1996). The role of counselling in community support for HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 9, 177–190. doi:10.1080/09515079608256362
• Government of Uganda. (2010). UNGASS country progress report: Uganda. Retrieved from http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2010/ uganda_2010_country_progress_report_en.pdf 
• Kaleeba, N., Kalibala, S., Kaseje, M., Ssebbanja, P., Anderson, S., van Praag, E., . . .Katabira, E. (1997). Participatory evaluation of counseling, medical and social services of The AIDS Sup- port Organization (TASO) in Uganda. AIDS Care, 9, 13–26. doi:10.1080/09540129750125307
• Ministry of Education and Sports. (2004). The national report on the development of education in Uganda at the beginning of the 21st century. 
• Ministry of Education and Sports. (2010). About the Department of Guidance & Counselling. Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 1, 1–2. Retrieved from  http://www.education.go.ug/downloads/ G&C%20Journal.pdf
• Uganda Counselling Association. (2007). [Strategic development plan (2008–2012).]Unpublished raw data.