The Counselling Centre of the University of Cape Coast has organized a guidance program for first-year students to educate them on how to live a balanced life on campus.
The program titled Relationship 101 was organized on the theme: Balancing Academic Excellence and Romantic Harmony: Nurturing Both Sides of Life.
It addressed issues concerning healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to handle academics and breakups.
The Counselling Centre thoughtfully organized the very interactive program targeted at the first years as they usually fall victim to relationship and heartbreak issues, due to them coming into absolute freedom from parental control.
This underscores the need to prepare the student’s minds for these prevalent challenges that they face.
In an interview with ATL FM NEWS, a counsellor at the Counselling Centre of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Linda Dzama Forde expounded on how students can handle and deal completely with breakups in relationships.
According to her, not all relationships culminate in a successful union emphasizing that it’s crucial to have open discussions with students to support their acceptance of the fact that breakups can and do occur.
“Accepting reality has to do with recognizing that breakups are painful. And if something is painful, what do you do? Nature has its ways of helping us to release emotional pain. Sharing the problem is one. Crying is one. It’s okay to cry. But it’s also important not to stay in that mood of just mourning, grieving and blaming yourself.”
Professor Dzama Forde encouraged the students to know at what point to seek counselling to help them pull through such situations and emphasized the need to realize that life must still go on.
Head of the Department of Guidance and Counselling at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Stephen Doh Fia pointed out the need for students to assess their academic standing whether they are above average, average or below average.
This according to him will enable them to strike the right balance between your academics and relationships.
He expressed that some excel effortlessly, those who struggle, and those in between; Students at the top effortlessly understand and excel in exams due to their diligent reading habits. Conversely, those below average may need to put in significant effort to comprehend the material.
Therefore, Dr. Doh Fia said “If you can spend as much as 90% of the time on your academic and about 10% on your relationship issue, is beautiful. If you can spend 80% of your time on academic work and just about 20% on relationship issues, I will say it is good.”
Additionally, the chairman for the occasion, Prof. Edem Amenumey who is also the Vice Dean at the Office of the Dean of Students, added that it is significant for students to take their studies seriously and seek assistance when needed.
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Source: Flora Tang & Anita Delight Eloh /ATLFMNEWS
