Guidance and Psychological Counseling Services aim to support individuals’ social-emotional, academic, and career development to enable them to recognize themselves, make use of educational and career opportunities, take responsibility, and lead healthy lives within society, in line with the general aims of Turkish national education.
RAMs (Guidance and Research Centers) conduct all necessary work to ensure that guidance and psychological counseling services are carried out effectively and efficiently in educational institutions, including the identification of individuals with special educational needs in the province, and the provision of guidance and counseling services for all individuals.
Guidance and psychological counseling services in schools are carried out by school-based guidance and counseling units in coordination with the local RAM.
RAMs are composed of two departments: one is to implement guidance and psychological counseling services, and the other is to implement special education services. The guidance and psychological counseling services department offers consultancy services tailored to the characteristics, levels, and types of educational institutions within the center’s scope. The guidance and psychological counseling services department cooperates with universities and relevant organizations to prepare programs for group guidance activities and provide necessary assistance to schools in order to enable students to develop their capacities in a balanced and healthy way in mental, psychological and social aspects, to be constructive and creative, to recognize and evaluate their characteristics, and to provide guidance and psychological counseling services for academic and career development (MoNE Guidance and Psychological Counseling Services Regulation). The department provides psychological assistance to students referred by school-based services or those who apply individually to the center. It applies various psychological assessment tools according to scientific standards, depending on the nature of the services to be provided. It plans guidance and counseling services related to orientation, incorporating the views of relevant institutions and organizations. Research is conducted to determine community needs, improve services, and increase quality and efficiency. Publications containing information about higher education institutions, occupational fields, and professions are prepared and distributed to educational institutions to support students’ development in various areas. At the provincial level, the center plans, executes, and concludes activities for determining, reproducing, providing, developing, and distributing the psychological measurement tools and other instruments to be used in services.
Academic Guidance
Academic development activities are carried out by guidance counselors and class advisors. At the beginning of each academic year, guidance counselors develop a school guidance and counseling program through which they conduct individual, or group guidance activities based on student needs on topics such as goal setting, motivation, time management, exam anxiety, absenteeism, school adaptation, and introduction to higher education institutions. The class guidance program includes academic development outcomes for every grade level. Activities addressing these outcomes are implemented during guidance hours with students present in the classroom.
Social-Emotional Guidance
Individual or group guidance activities are conducted on subjects such as decision-making, peer and family relations, developmental characteristics, emotion regulation, combating addiction, coping with trauma, problem-solving, and social skills development. These activities may be offered developmentally and preventively, as well as within the scope of remedial services following the emergence of a problem through psychological counseling.
Individual or group psychological counseling is a professional support cycle aiming at leading individuals to raise self awareness, make decisions, solve problems, achieve personal and social adjustment, which will enhance their well-being.
Career Guidance
All students with special educational needs, including those identified at an early age as gifted, are monitored from primary education onwards and provided with additional educational support by relevant institutions. At the primary and lower secondary levels, students are directed to programs appropriate to their development based on their interests, talents, motivation, achievement, and individual characteristics. At the secondary education level, efforts are made to prepare students for higher education and programs suited to their characteristics and development, while enhancing their study skills.
Group guidance activities are also organized within the scope of psychological counseling services to support students’ individual and social development in the area of career development. Career guidance and counseling services aim to help individuals recognize their interests, talents, values, and personality traits; become aware of career options; understand the connection between job requirements and personal characteristics; develop positive attitudes toward careers; gain career awareness; and perceive the relationship between education and professional life, as well as the importance of lifelong learning for career development. (MoNE Regulation on Guidance and Psychological Counseling Services).