CURRENT SITUATION OF DEVELOPING SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING  COMPETENCE FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS THROUGH AN EXPERIENTIAL  LEARNING APPROACH

Tran Thi Bich Diep

Tran Thi Bich Diep	ttbdiep@daihocthudo.edu.vn	Hanoi Metropolitan University 98 Duong Quang Ham street, Nghia Do ward, Hanoi, Vietnam

Summary:

Developing psychological counseling competence for pre-service teachers has become increasingly necessary as school students face growing mental health challenges. This study aims to investigate the current situation of developing psychological counseling competence among pre-service students through an experiential learning approach at several teacher training institutions in Vietnam. The study used a combination of methods, including document analysis, questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews, observation, and learning product analysis. The survey involved 923 pre-service teachers, 267 lecturers and educational managers, and 158 school teachers from three teacher education institutions in Northern Vietnam. The findings indicate that participants generally recognize the important role of psychological counseling competence in teachers’ professional practice. The development of this competence has initially been integrated into teacher education programs. However, current training remains largely theory-oriented, while opportunities for practical skill development and professional experience are still limited and lack systematic implementation.

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Keywords:

psychological counseling

Psychological counseling competence

pre-service teachers

experiential learning approach

teacher education.

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Journal:

No. 10, October 2026

VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

THE VIETNAM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

CURRENT SITUATION OF DEVELOPING SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING COMPETENCE FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS THROUGH AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH