Conceptualizing the Yucel Method as a tool for Supporting Students’ Career Exploration in Schools
Career counselling in secondary schools continues to evolve as the needs of young people change. Many students do not fully understand their strengths, future goals, and possible career paths, which leaves them confused and sometimes discouraged. The Yucel Method, which incorporates visualisation, structured reflection, and action-oriented planning, offers a promising yet understudied tool for supporting students career exploration. This conceptual paper examines how the method can be applied within school counselling to strengthen students participation in career decision-making. Drawing from established career development theories, particularly Supers Lifespan Life-Space theory and Holland’s Career Inventory theory, the analysis explores how components of the Yucel Method align with key counselling processes such as self-exploration, goal setting, and developing future orientation. Each stage of the Yucel Method offers opportunities for visualisation, reflective questioning, narrative expression, and development of action plans to show its value for strengthening students career thinking. The paper also explores how the method can increase student motivation, self-agency, and future orientation while giving counsellors a flexible tool they can adjust to different school contexts. The analysis concludes by identifying challenges such as limited time, counsellor capacity, cultural factors, and lack of empirical studies. The paper recommends future research on effectiveness, cultural adaptation, and integration with digital guidance tools. Ultimately, this conceptual analysis shows that the Yucel Method has strong potential to enrich school career counselling by providing an engaging, student-centred, and empowering process.
