DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i04.017

Pages: 898-905

Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs among the youth in the world today and this is one of the reasons leading to poor performance by Kenyan secondary school students in national examinations. The purpose of this study was to identify the guidance and counseling interventions given to public secondary school students who abuse alcohol. The study was grounded on the social learning and person centered theories of counseling. The target population comprised of 70 guidance and counseling teachers, selected from 70 public secondary schools in Meru county, Kenya. Out of these, a sample of 10 guidance and counseling teachers was selected from 10 secondary schools in Imenti South sub-county. The researcher employed purposive and simple random sampling techniques to arrive at the required number of respondents. Data were collected interview schedules. A pilot study was carried out two weeks to the actual study to ascertain the suitability of this research instrument for collecting the required data. Validity of the instrument was assessed via the Rasch model, using data from the pilot study. The collected data were analyzed descriptively in themes as they emerged. Findings revealed that parental involvement, use of external speakers, use of student families and use of peer counselors were the counseling strategies mostly used to manage the alcohol abuse situation in schools.