THE EXPLORATION OF PRACTICAL SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' SOCIAL SKILLS

Abstrak

The decline in students’ social skills in the era of digital disruption and the post-pandemic period poses a serious challenge that hinders academic achievement and mental health. This study aims to explore Guidance and Counseling (GC) service practices in enhancing students’ social skills, drawing on Norman C. Gysbers’ comprehensive model. Using a qualitative case study method, the research involved guidance and counseling teachers and students as research subjects selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation. The results showed that role-playing was the most commonly used technique (42%), followed by peer mediation (25%), individual counseling (17%), and class orientation (17%). These interventions proved significantly effective, as evidenced by an increase in the average SSIS instrument score from 65.2 to 83.6 (a 28% increase). Qualitatively, students felt more capable of empathizing and understanding others’ perspectives. However, program implementation remains constrained by limited service time and an insufficient counselor-to-student ratio within the system support component. This study concludes that structured guidance and counseling services effectively improve social competence but require stronger school policy support to address human resource constraints.