SCHOOL COUNSELORS’ ASSESSMENT OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE SERVICES THEY OFFER AT THEIR SCHOOLS
Abstract
The study aims to obtain an educational, career, personal, and social assessment of school counselors of the psychological counseling and guidance (PCG) services they offer at their schools. It also evaluates the suggestions of the school counselors as to the conditions required to make the PCG practices in their schools more adequate. The sample group consists of 49 school counselors serving at elementary and secondary levels in Istanbul. The collected data were subjected to quantitative and qualitative analyses. The research results showed that the school counselors offer personal PCG services at a greater level and educational and career PCG services at similar levels. Of the school counselors stating that they offer an adequate level of PCG services, 69.7% are female and 37.5% are male.The school counselors suggested the following to make the PCG services more adequate: School counselors should receive good PCG training, like to perform their profession, thoroughly fulfill their duties and responsibilities, and be given a detailed job definition; supervisors of school counselors should not be their school principals; out-of-field appointments should not be performed; time should be used efficiently; the number of school counselors should be sufficient; school counselors should not be employed at schools where they are not permanently staffed; physical facilities should be adequate and appropriate for PCG services; classroom guidance activities should be performed; teachers and administrators should support PCG services and be offered in-service training to be informed about PCG services
Keywords
Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PCG), School Counselor, Services
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