A professor of Counselling Psychology has called for the institution and further strengthening of counseling services in the educational system beginning from primary schools as way of addressing problems associated with unfocussed children who might become a danger to the society.

Delivering a paper titled, "Fostering Psychological Adjustment: Pathways to National Wellness" at the 37th in the series of public lecture organized by the Covenant University, the Deputy Dean, School of Human Resource Development, College of Leadership and Development Studies at the institution, Professor Amos Alao said the counseling services must also be available to secondary school children up to the university level.

This according to him will put in check early activities of unserious youths who may likely become a danger to themselves and the community in which they lived.

He said, "The parts contribute to the whole: adjustment and wellness in the individual, couple, family, group and community all contribute to the corporate wellbeing of the nation. Indeed, psychological adjustment at these levels is pathways to national wellness".

The lecturer advised that ensuring wellness in the nation must begin with ensuring wellness at the individual, in interpersonal relationships between two individuals and at the family and group levels, in the community and in the society.

Stressing the need for wellness in all spheres of a country's life, he stated that failure in fostering wellness at the lower levels of relationships may also make nurturing national wellness difficult; saying that peace in the society must begin with peace and wellness in the home and in our relationships.

Suggesting ways to ensure wellness and its anticipatory effects at the individual level requires the admission of challenge and difficulty by the person, followed by positive steps in resolving the issue while help should also be sought from experts if the issue becomes complex.

"To prevent a family from becoming dysfunctional, strategies on how parents can become more successful in training their children through psychological principles and behavioural models will need to be adopted".

At the community level he said, "Cognizance of the unique nature of the community to be assisted must be taken and the helping strategies adopted will need to be flexible and relevant," he added.

He called for the integration of alcohol and substance use education into the school curriculum at the lower level in order to awareness of the dangers of alcohol, substance use and abuse.

According to him, "With reference to alcohol and substance abuse, the availability of support services in terms of counseling in all our institutions of learning will help in preventing and assisting students who use and abuse alcohol and substances".