Counseling needs of gifted children: The perspectives of psychological counselors

The purpose of the present study was to examine the perspectives of psychological counselors regarding gifted children in public primary schools in İstanbul. Within this purpose, children and professional needs were investigated. In this qualitative study, eight interviews were conducted using a semi-structured form with one male and seven female psychological counselors aged between 29 and 37 years old. Two of them had former work experience in the Science and Art Center (BİLSEM), the public institution for gifted education. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that psychological counselors conceptualize giftedness in various ways, namely social skills, diversity, getting easily bored, creative thinking, special ability in a particular field, curiosity, awareness, learning style, interest area, and emotional skills. Additionally, they indicated loneliness, acceptance and recognition, anxiety, frustration, pressure for success, perfectionism, time management, and career-related issues as counseling needs of gifted children. According to psychological counselors, gifted children were often subjected to at least one of the labeling types; namely glorification, exclusion, favor, alienation, or hiding the gift. Psychological counselors indicated their professional needs as professional competence and systemic barriers. Finally, individual counseling, group guidance, individual guidance, and group counseling were the most utilized approaches when working with gifted children. The practical implications for psychological counselors, teachers, parents, and policy makers were also discussed.