Examining the Self-Care Strategies of School Counselors in Disadvantaged Schools Through the Resilience Portfolio Model

School counselors working with disadvantaged student groups are at risk of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress due to their work with students exposed to trauma and multiple adversities. Therefore, counselor self-care is important for both professional sustainability and ethical responsibility. This qualitative study reached 20 school counselors serving disadvantaged students in Türkiye through purposive and snowball sampling. Participants’ self-care strategies were examined within the framework of the Resilience Portfolio Model (RPM). Thematic analysis identified three themes related to self-care strategies: self-regulation strengths, including physical, cognitive, and emotional self-care; interpersonal strengths, including relational, professional, and environmental self-care; and meaning-making, including spiritual/meaning-based self-care and work–life balance. The findings showed that self-care functions as a multidimensional and interconnected portfolio; time constraints and professional workload acted as barriers, whereas supportive interpersonal networks and professional values aligned with personal values served as facilitators. Participants’ experiences with challenging cases were grouped under six themes: adverse childhood experiences; psychological and behavioral problems; difficulties in school–family collaboration; migration, collective trauma, and cultural differences; loss and grief; and students with special needs.