COVID-19 Pandemic Experiences of Counselors and Their Families

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the pandemic on counselors and their families. In this qualitative study, homogeneous sampling type, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used. Two separate evaluations were carried out on counselors on two separate occasions. The first evaluation (covered the period between March 13th and June 13th, 2020. The second evaluation focused on the period between June 14th and October 14th, 2020. In the first phase of the study, 33 counselors and in the second phase, 30 counselors were reached and sufficient information could be collected about the impact of the pandemic on the lives of counselors and their families. The data were obtained from semi-structured interview forms developed by the researcher. Findings obtained in the first part of the study suggested that the pandemic is a compelling experience, that it causes anxiety and worry in families, and that continuing to socialize with taking appropriate precautions will protect mental health. The second part of the study emphasized that the pandemic can be dealt with more easily depending on personality traits such as being patient, that anxiety and worry are still present even though they partially decrease in families, and the pandemic reminds the importance of socialization and family. From this point of view, the importance of counselors who take an active role in challenging processes such as pandemics to work actively with experts in other disciplines is emphasized.