The Use of Systems Approach in Psychological Counseling and Guidance

The field of Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PCG) places the individual in the center. At the same time, systems that have a crucial place in personal development such as the family, school and work place are also considered important. Efforts in this context make use of approaches that study the interaction between the individual and the systems to which he belongs to (such as the linear system, modern system, ecological system, and chaos theory). These approaches are all based on general systems theory but have different fields of practice. To substantiate this, the general systems approach which originated from natural sciences has emerged in the field of psychology as the ecological system approach. Much as the individual remains at the heart of Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PCG), it is equally important to study the relationship between the individual and the system. This article therefore includes information about systems theory which explains the relations between individuals and the system, the ecological approach and chaos theory. Following this, the place and importance of the systems approach in education and PCG is explained. A survey of the related literature reveals a very limited number of PCG studies conducted in Turkey. The article offers sample studies from different stages of education. Finally, an evaluation of the feasibility of these approaches and recommendations will follow.

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