Nigeria In Focus: Nigerians' Attitudes Towards Counseling

Extracted from here: Iowa State University Student Counseling Services: Nigeria

Nigerians believe that counseling is a field that deals with mental patients. So they believe that the problems addressed in counseling are those that normal people don’t face. This means that few people would be willing to go for counseling because of the stigma attached to it. No one wants to be considered a ‘mental’ patient.

According to a Nigerian faculty member at the Iowa State University, counselors do not really exist in Nigerian society. Nigerians have a collectivist culture and believe that any problem can be solved with guidance from the family members. Experienced and respected relatives or elders in the community take on the role of imparting advice and are depended upon for solving the problem. They could range from in-laws to older or younger siblings and other close relatives as well as traditional spiritual leaders. Nigerians believe that it would be abnormal and highly unnecessary to seek help from professional counselors for a problem that can be solved by the family.

Since Nigerians have this perception about problem solving, they spurn suggestions to visit a counselor and it wouldn’t even come to their mind.

Issues regarding sexuality, sexual assaults, domestic violence and death are only shared and discussed among close family members and close friends. Adults in the family would often refrain from sharing such information with younger children and adolescents. They value confidentiality and trust family and friends with sensitive issues.

To majority of Nigerians, religion plays a great role in their lives, be they Muslims, Christians or people of other faiths and take a lot of pride in their faith.