The Swedish Association
of Guidance Counsellors

Counselling in situations of transition, be the choice of education, vocation, occupational change or job rehabilitation is offered by different categories of counsellors. These counsellors may be found in schools, employment offices, colleges and universities, rehabilitation centres or in private and public work organisations. The ever increasing internationalisation of training and work and the increase in human mobility have put great demands on transnational counselling.

An increasing number of people are finding life to be a whole series of transitional periods. Changes occur not only in their employment careers but in all aspects of their lives and more and more people are in need of counselling. The Swedish Association of Guidance Counsellors is actively engaged in the development and strengthening of educational and vocational counselling. The association also actively participates in increasing the professionalising of counsellor practise and professional ethics.

"Counselling is an interactive process that is conducted within an organisation or institution where the professional counsellor, with the dialogue as his most important tool, helps individuals to solve or manage their educational, vocational or existential problems to satisfy their own unique needs".

(From The Swedish Association's of Guidance Counsellors Declaration of Ethics.)


THE SWEDlSH ASSOClATlON OF GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS, (SAGC) was founded in 1975 and is a non-profit making organisation whose goals are to:

  • Influence society to eliminate educational and occupational injustices and to further everyones rights to opportunities in educa tion, training and work.
  • Stimulate discussion and debate on issues concerning educational and vocational guidance.
  • Improve educational and vocational guidance with regard to content, ethics, methods and organisation.
  • Encourage research on educational and vocational guidance.
  • Support the members of the association in other principle matters than those that can be referred to the trade unions.
  • Encourage co-operation between all counsellors.
  • Actively strive for co-operation between other countries in questions concerning educational and vocational guidance.


Members
SAGC is an organisation for counsellors working with educational and vocational guidance. The association has today approximately 1000 members and is open to those who agree with and accept the association's goals. The members are mainly practicioners in schools, employment offices, job rehabilitation centres and other counsellors.


Organisation
The concept of the association is based on the activities of the regional associations. The central committee encourages, supports and co-ordinates their activities.

The Swedish Association for Guidance Counsellors (SAGC) arranges an annual two-day conference concerned with current topics within the fields of educational and vocational guidance counselling, education and societal change.

SAGC publishes a quarterly journal, Vägledaren i utbildning och arbetsliv (The Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellor). The journal is a forum for debate, information about current affairs, recent research findings and developments within educational and vocational guidance counselling.

SAGC is through the Nordic Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance also affiliated to the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG).

SAGC is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) actively engaged in counselling projects within and beyond the European Community.

]
The Declaration of Ethics

[English]

SAGC has formulated and ratified a Declaration of Ethics in order to:

  • support the members of the association in their work as counsellors
  • offer security to individuals and groups in the counselling situation
  • clarify the stance of the association on questions concerning counselling ethics for employers and providers of counselling and the general public and by so doing increase confidence in the service.


The Council of Ethics
To support the association and the individual member, questions concerning counsellor ethics can be forwarded to the Council of Ethics for clarification and advice.


Membership
The membership fee is skr 300 p.a. Students on the undergraduate counselling programme, skr 100 p.a. Subscription to the association's journal is included in the membership fee.


Contact
Sveriges Vägledarförening
c/o Lena Collin (secretary)
Kabelgatan 10
414 57 Göteborg
E-mail:lena.collin@arbetsformedlingen.se


The journal "Vägledaren"
VÄGLEDAREN
c/o A. Söderlund
Vävstuguvägen 12
SE-862 41 NJURUNDA
Phone 060-310 89 (answering machine daytime)
E-mail: agneta.soderlund@skola.sundsvall.se