Professional development trainings for school counsellors

Euroguidance Croatia began organizing the Guidance and Career Counselling Seminar for school counsellors (psychologists and pedagogues) in primary and secondary schools in 2013. Since its inception, the seminar has been held as a two-day event, in collaboration with leading national experts in educational and work psychology from the University of Zagreb, the Ivo Pilar Institute for Social Research, and the Croatian Employment Service.

The seminar aims to equip guidance practitioners with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective guidance and counselling services to students, while also fostering collaboration with parents and other teaching staff.

Since it started, the seminar has been delivered over 30 times to more than 900 practitioners, using a combination of plenary lectures, small group activities (with approximately 20-30 participants), and interactive workshops. These workshops demonstrate methods and techniques for working with students, focusing primarily on assessing individual traits (such as interests, strengths, and weaknesses) and students' knowledge of various career pathways.

Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. They have recognized the critical role that high-quality guidance and counselling services play in supporting lifelong learning, career management, and the achievement of personal goals. Participants describe the seminars as dynamic and inspiring, praising the expert lecturers and emphasizing the value of networking and knowledge sharing during the sessions.

In 2016, Euroguidance created the "Introduction to Guidance and Counselling" brochure, which was updated in 2023. This brochure, developed as a summary of the two-day seminar, is available online as a manual for all guidance counsellors, including those unable to attend the seminar. It covers basic theoretical concepts in guidance and counselling in simple, accessible terms, making it a useful resource not only for guidance professionals but also for school staff and parents.

Given its success, the brochure underwent a comprehensive content update, visual refresh, and digitalization in 2023. It remains one of Euroguidance's most well-received publications. The brochure is available at: https://www.ampeu.hr/files/Uvod-u-profesionalno-usmjeravanje.pdf