Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Education
2 Counseling Department. Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Allameh Tabatabai, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Today, counseling and utilizing related services are considered one of the fundamental needs of individuals on the path to achieving personal and social well-being. The way individuals perceive this field directly affects the extent and quality of their use of counseling services. Accordingly, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the perceptions of employees of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regarding counseling and its services. This research was carried out using a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. The participants included 12 employed men from the IRGC in Hamadan Province in the year 1400 (2025-2026), who were purposively selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and, after transcription, were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the data analysis led to the identification of seven main themes in the perceptions of IRGC employees regarding counseling and its services, which include: counseling as a supportive and trustworthy resource in conflicting and critical situations; counseling as a competency-based profession; a useful and effective profession; a profession based on expertise and skill; a profession based on trust; the necessity of attention to cultural and local components in providing counseling services; and finally, negative perceptions of counseling arising from individual and functional factors. Based on the findings of this study, counseling is perceived on one hand as a specialized, essential, culture-oriented, and acceptable profession, and on the other hand, it may be accompanied by negative attitudes influenced by the performance of counselors or personal and social factors.
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