COUNSELLING SKILLS FOR HARMONIOUS LIVING AMONG SEMI-LITERATE COUPLES IN OWERRI WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IMO STATE: IMPLICATIONS FOR MARITAL STABILITY

Abstract

This study sought to find out counselling skills for the harmonious living among semi-literate couples in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, using a descriptive survey design. Specifically, the study was interested in couples' perception of communication, social, management and sex-related skills, as being capable of creating harmonious relationships among married couples. Four research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. 120 couples (240) respondents) selected in the study area, using purposive sampling technique, participated in the study. A 32-item questionnaire titled ‘Harmonious Living Questionnaire’ developed by the researchers, and duly validated with a reliability value of 0.87, using the test re-test method, was the instrument used to collect data for the study. Mean, Standard Deviation, Grand mean, rank order and t-test statistical tools were used to answer the research questions and test the hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance respectively. The findings were that the skills as ranked-social skills (1st), sex-related skills (2nd), communication skills (3rd) and management skills (4th), help in creating harmonious living relationships among married couples. There was no significant gender difference in the perception of the couples on the skills that create and enhance harmonious living. The conclusion was that counselling skills that enhance marital stability also create harmonious living
among married couples. Discussion and recommendations were made. One of the recommendations was that professional counselling Associations should, in their annual conferences, train counsellors more on relationship skills that create harmonious living during skills training sessions, to enhance the counsellors' expertise in this direction.