Challenges of psychology and counseling activities in schools: a qualitative study

Psychology and counseling activities in schools provide services based on the needs of students and solve the educational problems of students in the school context and through the psychological perspectives. However, evidence suggests that numerous challenges exist in terms of the quality, performance, and effectiveness of these activities. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to identify the challenges to the psychology and counseling activities in schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The research population included principles, counselors, teachers, and students of West Azarbaijan, Iran, during the educational year of 2012-2013. The study subjects were selected using purposive sampling (which is mainly used in qualitative studies). Data were analyzed using framework analysis. Accordingly, a thematic framework was developed and the main themes were identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 participants. The results showed that 3 main themes and 30 subcategories were identified to explain the challenges of psychology and counseling activities. The main themes included personal, environmental, and organizational challenges. Numerous factors affect the quality of school counseling activities that have a cause and effect relationship. Therefore, any attempt to improve the quality of school counseling activities requires a systematic and coordinated effort with a deep understanding of the barriers and challenges. In this study, challenges in school counseling activities were identified and classified in 3 areas of personal, environmental, and organizational factors.