How do policies change? the change of psychological counseling and guidance services policies in Turkish national education system

The aim of this study is to understand the development of Turkey's Psychological Counseling and Guidance Services (PCG) Policies and explain changes in PCG polices with reference to policy transfer literature. This study employs a qualitative research method and after conducting a literature review, process analysis, document analysis, and change-point analysis methods were utilized in analyzing obtained data. The study investigated the existing literature through literature review; analyzed the official documents containing information on the research subject through document analysis and analyzed changes in the formation, implementation, and evaluation of PCG policies through process analysis and observed changes in regularly collected data over time through change-point analysis. Findings and results of the study suggests that PCG services were first developed in the USA and then spread to the rest of the world. During the Democratic Party rule in 1950, PCG policies were transferred from the USA in search of a new approach in education policies. This policy transfer started on a voluntary basis, but PCG policies of the USA have implemented in Turkey with 30-40 years delays. Turkish authorities constantly transferred all innovations in the field. The character of policy transfer concerning the PCG field was emulation and this emulation also led to the transfer of the USA's built in problems in the PCG field, such as the complications stemming from cross-cutting roles and titles in schools. Finally, delays in the implementation of PCG policies in schools explained with reference to institutional resistance and path dependence in Turkish education system. Keywords: Policy change, policy transfer, psychological counseling and guidance, public policy, education system.