Content analysis of graduate theses on spiritual counselling in Turkey

Humans are not only biological beings but also possess spiritual and moral dimensions. For this reason, individuals often require spiritual counseling services during various stages of their lives to address the problems they encounter. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in studies on spiritual counseling worldwide. Particularly in Western countries, spiritual counseling and guidance practices have reached a certain level of systematic application and institutionalization. In Turkey, the field of spiritual counseling can be considered to be in its nascent stages. This study aimed to analyze graduate theses on "spiritual counseling" accessible through the National Thesis Center of Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YÖK) using content analysis. The study holds significance as it provides a comprehensive evaluation of the academic literature in this field and establishes a foundation for future research. The theses were examined in terms of their types, publication years, researchers' genders, advisors' academic titles, universities and departments where they were prepared, objectives, methodologies, data sources, data collection tools, analysis methods, sampling techniques, findings, and recommendations. The study employed a qualitative research design, with content analysis used to evaluate the data. The findings revealed that the number of doctoral dissertations in the field of spiritual counseling and guidance in Turkey is quite limited, indicating a need for undergraduate and graduate-level programs in this area. It was also found that qualitative research methods are predominantly employed in these theses, though some lacked information about data collection tools. Furthermore, the study highlighted the necessity of legal regulations related to spiritual counseling and guidance and emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary research in the field. In conclusion, it is recommended to expand academic programs in spiritual counseling, encourage doctoral-level dissertation studies, and increase support for the development of this field.