The Challenges of Public Health, Social Work, and Psychological Counselling Services in South Korea: The Issues of Limited Support and Resource.

Luis Miguel Dos Santos

doi:10.3390/ijerph17082771

Abstract

Public health, social work, and psychological counselling professions in South Korea are facing challenges of human resource shortage and shortage of professionals who can provide multilingual services. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand why public health, social work, and psychological counselling services degree graduates and professionals with multilingual skills in South Korea decide to leave their professional field to the hospitality and business industries, particularly for those who completed their initial training at one of the international universities. Based on the approach of the Social Cognitive Career Theory, individuals’ self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and goals were examined and considered. The data were collected from 12 participants with the methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The general inductive approach was employed to categorize the themes for reporting. The results indicated that public health, social work, and psychological counselling services-related positions are not available, modelling from peers, and lack of career development skills are the primary difficulties of public health, social work, and psychological counselling services graduates. The completion of this study provides clear recommendations to educators, policymakers, school leaders, human resource planners, and university administrators to improve their curricula and school counselling for public health, social work, and psychological counselling services graduates and the next generation.

Highlights

IntroductionThe Current Public Health, Social Work, and Psychological Counselling Services in South Korea
The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the factors contributing to the career decisions and decision-making processes of recent public health, social work, and psychological counselling services graduates in South Korea, for those with degrees from overseas universities who are working in industries other than public health, social work, and psychological counselling services
Given Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)’s notions about how people, behaviors, and environmental elements could impact and influence the career decisions and decision-making processes of people, in this case, recent public health, social work, and psychological counselling services graduates, this study explored the factors that may be related to their career decisions and decision-making processes

Summary

Introduction

The Current Public Health, Social Work, and Psychological Counselling Services in South Korea. Social work, and psychological counselling services are some of the foundational services [1] that can help social minorities, the elderly, refugees, vulnerable people, female residents, and even sexual minorities [2] to overcome some social, cultural, and financial difficulties in society [3]. The South Korean government has established some governmental agencies and foreign resident support centers with multilingual services, such centers cannot offer long-term, gradual, and follow-up services to some minority groups in the community [4]. There are only a few organizations that can provide public health, social work, and psychological counselling services to these minority groups

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Discussion

Conclusion