Beatrice Kathungu

Dr. Beatrice Kathungu is a lecturer in  the Department of   Psychology, Kenyatta University (KU), Nairobi, Kenya. She received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Kenyatta University in 2010, with a specialization in the area of rehabilitation of children in the juvenile justice system. She has an MA (Counseling Psychology) from United States International University Africa (USIU). Dr. Kathungu has served as a full time faculty member at the Department of Psychology at Kenyatta University for 16 years and served as Head of the same Department from 2012 -2016. She has also served as an adjunct faculty in Psychology at USIU for nine years. Dr. Kathungu has steered the adaptation of the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) into the first specialized Postgraduate Program in Addiction Treatment Science in the Region at Kenyatta University, Kenya and is providing leadership and mentorship to other universities in the region on the same. Dr. Kathungu is a practicing Psychologist and Clinical supervisor in the field of addiction treatment in Kenya. She  has conducted research in the area of addiction studies including as  a principal investigator and director  for a  competitively won Kenyan Government   National Grant .She  teaches addiction related courses and has  successfully supervised  several Masters and PhD  students  in Kenyatta University .She works closely with the Kenya Government through its agency ,the  National Authority  Campaigning  Against Drug abuse (NACADA) as a researcher, consultant and clinical supervisor for the counselors in the  National Drug Helpline . She was instrumental in the recent development of the first addiction studies journal in Kenya- the African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AJADA) by NACADA, and serves as a member of its editorial board. She is also a founding member of ISSUP Kenya chapter, where she serves as the chair of the research and dissemination subcommittee. Dr. Kathungu is a Global Master trainer for the UTC basic and advanced, as well as the CHILD curriculum and has conducted numerous trainings on the same in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe.  She has presented papers on addiction studies in several national, regional and international conferences including NACADA, ISSUP and NIDA. She is currently engaging   stakeholders in Kenya towards capacity building for establishment of specialized   drug abuse treatment programs for Children.