Volume 14, Number 1

Training, Professional Competence, and Identity Construction in School Career Guidance: Evidence From a Qualitative Study in Greek Secondary Education

  Authors

Catherine Haliotou , Qualitative Study in Greek Secondary Education, Greece

  Abstract

School Career Guidance has progressively evolved from a predominantly informational service into a complex educational practice that supports students’ academic, personal, and vocational development. Within this evolving landscape, the professional competences of School Career Guidance counselors—and particularly the role of initial and continuing training in shaping these competences—have become a central concern for educational research and policy. Drawing on an interpretive qualitative research design, this study explores how counselors conceptualize the contribution of their training experiences to the development of relational, methodological, and ethical competences, as well as to the construction of their professional identity. The empirical material consists of transcribed individual and group counseling sessions conducted in Greek secondary education. The findings indicate that while initial training is perceived as a necessary theoretical and institutional foundation, continuing professional development plays a decisive role in fostering reflexivity, ethical awareness, and adaptive professional practice. The discussion situates these findings within international literature on counselor education and lifelong professional learning, highlighting implications for training design and educational policy in School Career Guidance.

  Keywords

School Career Guidance; Counselor Training; Professional Competence; Professional Identity; Continuing Professional Development; Qualitative Research