The duties and responsibilities of guidance counselors are defined by the Guidance and Psychological Counseling Services Regulation. Guidance counselors are responsible for supporting the academic, social and psychological development of students by providing developmental, preventive, remedial and supportive services in educational institutions.
Duties of Counselors
Developmental and Preventive Services
Guidance counselors implement activities that require special knowledge and skills in the field of guidance within the scope of the classroom guidance program and guide students’ development processes. Within the scope of individual recognition activities, they apply various recognition techniques to determine students’ abilities, interests and personality traits and evaluate the data obtained and provide feedback to students and those concerned. It also shares the information students need for their academic, social-emotional and career development through individual or group studies. It helps students direct their educational lives in the most appropriate way by providing preference counseling during the preparation process for the central exams. Among their main responsibilities are directing students to educational institutions, professions and social-cultural activities in accordance with their interests and abilities, monitoring their development processes and guiding them.
Remedial Services
It provides individual and group counseling services to support students’ social-emotional, academic and career development. In this process, it guides students to discover themselves, develop and improve their emotional and cognitive capacities.
Within the scope of psychosocial support services, it provides psychological and social support to students, families and teachers in the face of traumatic life events such as natural disasters, accidents, neglect and abuse, suicide, violence, war, migration and epidemics. It provides individual guidance services for children for whom counseling cautionary decisions have been taken and, when necessary, provides guidance support to those responsible for the care of the child. Within the framework of referral activities, in cases that fall outside the intervention area of guidance and psychological counseling services or exceed the professional competence of the counselor, it refers the individual to more competent specialists or institutions.
Support Services
The guidance counselor contributes to the development of the guidance approach by cooperating with teachers, parents and administrators in order to support the development of the student. They prepare the guidance and psychological counseling program to be carried out in the educational institution through the “e-Rehberlik” system in the first week of October and submit it to the Guidance and Research Center. In addition, in November every year, in line with the data received from class counselors, it creates a risk map of the school by identifying students at risk and plans the necessary support mechanisms. Conducts research and evaluation studies to increase the effectiveness of guidance services. Contributes to making guidance services more efficient by participating in project studies carried out in the educational institution. While conducting joint studies with parents, teachers, school administrators and other relevant institutions for the developmental needs of students, they take the necessary measures in cooperation with the school administration and the course teacher in order to prevent students from being absent during individual or group studies conducted during guidance hours. Participate in scientific congresses, conferences, panels and in-service trainings in order to improve their professional knowledge and skills, follow current developments and increase the effectiveness of guidance services, and contribute to the development of knowledge and skills of other teachers and administrators in the field of guidance by providing in-service training when necessary. In addition, by fulfilling the duties assigned by the school principal regarding guidance and psychological counseling services, it organizes the guidance services needed by the school and ensures that these services are carried out.