Designing an Empowerment Model for School Counselors in the Field of Educational Guidance

Reyhaneh Farzandi; Esmaeil  Rahimi; Morteza  Samiee Zafarghandi

Authors

Reyhaneh Farzandi Ph.D. Candidate in Curriculum Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2159-1862
Esmaeil Rahimi Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum Planning, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4291-5818
Morteza Samiee Zafarghandi Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Institute for Educational Studies, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7085-1968

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to design an empowerment model for school counselors in the field of educational guidance for ninth-grade students.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed a grounded theory approach. The research population consisted of principals, counselors, and teachers working in lower secondary schools in District 10 of the Tehran Department of Education during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using purposive sampling, 30 participants, including 10 principals, 10 counselors, and 10 teachers who met the inclusion criteria, were selected. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The data were analyzed based on the Strauss and Corbin (1998) grounded theory approach.

Findings: The findings from the perspectives of the three groups of participants revealed components including academic and professional competence, ethical competence, communication and professional skills, coordination with families and schools, cognitive and emotional maturity, psychological well-being, psychological hardiness, emotional intelligence, and an influential personality. Accordingly, an empowerment model was designed in the form of eight online training sessions covering counselors’ professional knowledge and roles, the educational guidance process, assessment and integration of information, interviewing and communication skills, professional ethics, decision-making and emotion regulation, coordination with schools and families, and the integrated application of acquired knowledge and skills. The content of the model was reviewed and approved by seven professors specializing in educational counseling.

Conclusion: The findings indicated that empowering school counselors in the field of educational guidance is a multidimensional process that, in addition to specialized knowledge and skills, requires strengthening ethical, communication, and psychological competencies, as well as the ability to interact and coordinate effectively with families and schools. Accordingly, the designed eight-session model can provide a comprehensive framework for enhancing counselors’ professional competence and improving the quality of the educational guidance process for ninth-grade students.