Counseling at universities in Sweden

✍ Scribed by Gunilla Bjorklund

• Publisher: Springer US
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 398 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0165-0653
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00118850

✦ Synopsis

Counseling at Swedish universities started with departmental assistants who gave information about books, schedules, etc. Jobs for counselors began in 1969 arising from a labour market adapted university reform which resulted in an increased need for counseling.

The student's first contact with the counselor, who can be at the bureau of central administration or at a line or department, used to be at the high school level when a student was searching for information related to a program of study. During the study program a student may seek counseling in several situations: if he or she has failed in examinations, has to make a choice related to a program of study, wants to discuss the labour market and how to get a job, is a mature or a foreign student with special problems or has severe psychological problems and needs help establishing contact with a psychologist or psychiatrist. Counselors also occasionally work as university teachers and thus meet students in both situations.

A line counselor or a counselor within a deparment of a Swedish university normally does not have a background in psychology, but must be qualified in his own subject. While working, however, counselors normally take courses most of which are in psychology.