Prospective school counselors' perceptions regarding the development of multicultural and social justice counseling competencies

The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of prospective school counselors at Boğaziçi University regarding the development of Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC). This study was conducted using a case study research methodology. It was carried out in two parts. In the first part, the Multicultural and Social Justice School Counseling Competencies Scale (MSJSCCS) was translated into Turkish and administered to 136 students in the Guidance and Psychological Counseling Program at Boğaziçi University during the 2023-2024 academic year. In the second part, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 volunteer students who participated in the first part of the study and were enrolled in School Counseling Practicum I (ED 477). Within the scope of this study, 11 out of 27 participants were identified as the sample for thematic analysis based on the heterogeneity of the group. Four organizational themes emerged from the data analysis: foundations of MSJCC conceptualization, experiential pathways in developing MSJCC, challenges in MSJCC integration, and identified needs in MSJCC training. Contextualized in Türkiye at a state university, this case study highlights the importance of faculty members, the university setting, multilateral supervision, and ethical understanding in parallel with experiential learning in the development of MSJCC. Strengths, limitations, implications for future research and practice as well as critiques of the MSJCC framework are discussed.