A Narrative Inquiry into School Counseling Management for Students’ Mental Well-Being

Anas Rohman (1), Kholfan Zubair Taqo Sidqi (2), Achmad Munib (3), Erry Nurdianzah (4), Husen Waedoloh (5)
(1) Universitas Wahid HasyimID Indonesia,
(2) Universitas Wahid HasyimID Indonesia,
(3) Universitas Wahid HasyimID Indonesia,
(4) Universitas Wahid HasyimID Indonesia,
(5) Rungrote Wittaya SchoolTH Thailand

Abstract

Background. Guidance and counseling management is a vital component of the educational system, supporting students’ mental health and overall development. Students’ psychological growth is shaped by internal and external factors, including family environment, school conditions, peer relationships, academic pressure, and technological advances. Effective, systematic, and sustainable guidance and counseling services are therefore essential to help students navigate emotional, social, and academic challenges.


Purpose. This study analyzes the role of guidance and counseling management in developing students’ mental health at school and examines how effective counseling services contribute to their emotional, social, and academic development.


Method. This study employed a qualitative approach using a narrative review method to critically explore the development of guidance and counseling management concepts in relation to students’ mental health. Data were collected from books, journals, and prior studies, then analyzed through content analysis involving data reduction, presentation, interpretation, and conclusion drawing. The review highlights the importance of integrating administrative management with students’ emotional and personal needs to support holistic mental health development.


Results. Findings show that effective guidance and counseling management positively contributes to students’ mental health. Counseling services help improve emotional stability, social skills, self-confidence, learning motivation, and problem-solving abilities. Program success depends on proper planning, collaboration among school stakeholders, professional counseling teachers, parental involvement, and a conducive school environment. Evaluation and follow-up activities further strengthen the effectiveness and sustainability of counseling services.


Conclusion. Guidance and counseling management plays a significant role in supporting students’ mental health. Through systematic planning, organization, implementation, evaluation, and follow-up, schools can strengthen professional counseling systems to foster students’ optimal emotional, social, and academic development.

Full text article

Generated from XML file

References

Afdal, A., Ifdil, I., & Ardi, Z. (2023). School counseling management in supporting students’ psychological well-being. Journal of Counseling and Educational Technology, 6(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.32698/0476

Amalia, R., & Nugraheni, P. (2024). The impact of academic stress and social pressure on students’ mental health in secondary schools. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 13(2), 122–136. https://doi.org/10.17583/ijep.11902

Arifin, M., & Rahmawati, D. (2025). Preventive counseling services for adolescent mental health in schools. Journal of School Counseling and Mental Health, 4(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/x8r4p

Astuti, W., & Haryanto, E. (2024). School counseling innovation and student mental health resilience in Indonesian secondary schools. International Journal of Instruction, 17(2), 921–936. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2024.17250a

Aini, D., & Khasanah, U. (2024). Narrative-based counseling approaches in strengthening adolescents’ self-concept and emotional resilience. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(5), 3124–3133. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i5.29874

Carey, J., Harrington, K., & Martin, I. (2023). Comprehensive school counseling programs and student mental health outcomes: A systematic review. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 45(4), 522–541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-023-09527-y

Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2023). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (7th ed.). Pearson.

Desmita, D., & Yuliana, S. (2023). Emotional development and adolescent identity formation in educational settings. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 28(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2023.2174567

eng, L., Liu, Y., & Huang, H. (2024). To save the saver: Facilitating school counselors’ occupational well-being through multi-dimensional support and basic psychological needs. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1475931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1475931

Fadilah, N., & Kusumaningrum, D. (2024). Counseling service effectiveness and psychological adaptation among adolescents in Indonesian schools. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(3), 1812–1821. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i3.28517

Firmansyah, H., & Putri, R. A. (2025). Transformative counseling management for promoting students’ psychological well-being in secondary schools. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 418. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04218-6

Greenleaf, A. T., & Reese, R. F. (2024). Nurturing minds with nature: Incorporating ecodaemonia theory into comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X241259977

Gunawan, R., & Lestari, M. P. (2025). School-based counseling strategies for reducing academic anxiety among high school students. Heliyon, 11(1), e40562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e40562

Hidayah, N., & Ramli, M. (2024). Digital-age counseling competencies for school counselors. Counseling and Values, 69(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/cvj.12245

Handayani, R., Nugroho, A., & Pratama, D. (2025). Group counseling interventions for improving students’ emotional resilience in secondary schools. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 15(1), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0015

Hermawan, A., & Cahyani, R. (2024). Comprehensive counseling programs and students’ socio-emotional development in Indonesian education. Participatory Educational Research, 11(4), 144–159. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.24.82.11.4

Hapsari, E., & Ramadhan, F. (2024). Dialogical counseling spaces and students’ emotional adaptation in Indonesian schools. Education and Information Technologies, 29(11), 14577–14593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12544-x

Ifdil, I., Bariyyah, K., & Dewi, A. (2023). Student mental health services and counseling intervention in Indonesian schools. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 13(3), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.13.03.24

Kondo, E. (2024). Exploring the role and challenges of school counselors: Insights from self-evaluations. Japanese Journal of School Mental Health, 27(1), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.24503/jasmh.27.1_89

Kusnadi, T., & Anggraini, P. (2024). Digital counseling services and adolescent psychological well-being in the post-pandemic era. Education and Information Technologies, 29(8), 10345–10362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12387-6

Larrana, J., & Hein, S. (2024). A systematic literature review of school counselling needs in East and Southeast Asia. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 52(5), 989–1007. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2024.2342800

Lestari, P., & Prasetyo, H. (2024). Anti-bullying counseling programs and psychological resilience among adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 158, 107412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107412

Mulawarman, M., & Wibowo, M. E. (2023). Collaborative counseling management in schools: A comprehensive approach to student well-being. Journal of Education and Learning, 17(4), 589–601. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i4.20789

Maulana, I., & Fitria, N. (2024). School counseling services and academic motivation among adolescents in Indonesia. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 45(2), 389–398. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2024.45.2.15

Nadhirah, N. A., Baiti, L. Z., & Budiman, N. (2024). Professional competence of school counselors in guidance and counseling services. ProGCouns: Journal of Professionals in Guidance and Counseling, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/progcouns.v5i1.64247

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2023). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231204197

Nugroho, A., & Santoso, B. (2025). Social media addiction and adolescent anxiety in the digital era. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1482201. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1482201

Permatasari, D., & Fauzan, L. (2023). Evaluation of counseling service effectiveness in secondary education. European Journal of Educational Research, 12(3), 1455–1467. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.12.3.1455

Purgason, L. L., & Gruman, D. H. (2024). Comprehensive school mental health delivery for elementary school counselors. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 10(3), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2024.2416853

Putri, A. R., & Kurniawan, F. (2024). Evaluation model of school counseling programs for student mental health development. Participatory Educational Research, 11(3), 267–281. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.24.57.11.3

Prasetyo, Y., & Maulida, S. (2025). Narrative counseling management and self-efficacy development among adolescents in educational settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1538821. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1538821

Prabowo, H., & Sari, D. N. (2025). The role of collaborative counseling management in strengthening students’ emotional intelligence. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 301. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04091-3

Rahman, F., & Suryadi, A. (2024). School climate and students’ psychological well-being: The mediating role of counseling services. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 418. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01821-7

Ramadani, F., & Utomo, S. (2024). Guidance and counseling interventions for improving school well-being among adolescents. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 512. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01902-7

Setiawan, D., & Wibowo, A. (2023). Solution-focused counseling interventions for students with academic stress. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 18(4), 521–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2023.2189021

Sari, M. P., & Wulandari, N. (2024). School counseling innovation and narrative intervention for adolescent mental health recovery. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 601. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02011-1

Suryahadikusumah, A., & Nadya, R. (2024). Psychological well-being and academic achievement among high school students. Heliyon, 10(5), e26781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26781

Saputra, H., & Ramadhani, P. E. (2025). Counseling management and adolescent resilience in the digital learning era. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 214. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04127-8

Sutrisno, B., & Hidayati, L. (2024). Collaborative school counseling management and student well-being in Indonesian secondary schools. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(4), 2551–2560. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i4.28941

Vears, D. F., & Gillam, L. (2022). Inductive content analysis: A guide for beginning qualitative researchers. Focus on Health Professional Education, 23(1), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.11157/fohpe.v23i1.544

Warren, J. M., Blount, T. N., & Belle, G. (2024). Implementing effective school-based mental health services: A guide for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X241283769

Wibowo, M. E., & Mulawarman, M. (2024). Guidance and counseling management transformation in the era of student mental health awareness. Education Sciences, 14(2), 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020188

Wijayanti, D., & Puspitasari, E. (2024). Psychological well-being and coping strategies among high school students in the digital era. Heliyon, 10(9), e30112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30112

Wulandari, I., & Kurniawati, L. (2023). Student mental health support through comprehensive counseling services in Indonesian schools. Journal of Education and Learning, 17(3), 455–466. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.21241

Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2023). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 43(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X211067064

Yusuf, S., & Nurihsan, J. (2023). Comprehensive school counseling programs and student development outcomes. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 45(3), 356–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-023-09501-8

Yuliani, R., & Firmansyah, D. (2025). Narrative counseling approaches and resilience development among adolescents in schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1527741. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1527741

Zahra, A., & Maulana, F. (2024). School counseling climate and students’ academic motivation in Indonesian secondary education. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 45(3), 611–620. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2024.45.3.12

Zhang, Y., & Chen, L. (2025). Narrative counseling approaches and adolescent mental health resilience in school settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1512478. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1512478

Authors

Anas Rohman
anasrohman@unwahas.ac.id (Primary Contact)
Kholfan Zubair Taqo Sidqi
Achmad Munib
Erry Nurdianzah
Husen Waedoloh
Rohman, A., Sidqi, K. Z. T., Munib, A., Nurdianzah, E., & Waedoloh, H. (2026). A Narrative Inquiry into School Counseling Management for Students’ Mental Well-Being. International Journal of Educational Narratives, 4(4), 1389–1403. https://doi.org/10.70177/ijen.v4i4.3830

Article Details

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.