Abstract
To the Editor:
I read with interest the article entitled “The enduring protective role of psychological resilience against death anxiety in counseling psychologists” by Sizor (2025) examining the protective role of psychological resilience against death anxiety among professionals described as counseling psychologists in Türkiye. The study contributes valuable empirical data to the literature on resilience and existential concerns among helping professionals.
I would like to offer a brief clarification regarding the professional terminology used to describe the study participants. The article refers to the sample as counseling psychologists. However, professional titles in counseling and psychology differ substantially across countries, and this terminology may create ambiguity for readers who are unfamiliar with the Turkish educational and professional context.
In many countries, particularly in North America, counseling psychology is a doctoral-level specialization within psychology that requires extensive graduate training, supervised clinical experience, and licensure as a psychologist (American Psychological Association [APA], 2026). Counseling psychologists typically complete Ph.D. or PsyD. programs and provide psychological services in clinical, counseling, and academic settings. In Türkiye, counseling psychology programs and professional titles do not exist.
In Türkiye, professionals working in counseling roles are generally graduates of Guidance and Psychological Counseling programs offered within faculties of education. These professionals are commonly referred to in Turkish as psikolojik danışman and are typically translated into English as “guidance and psychological counselors”, or more broadly as “counselors,” since counseling in Türkiye is not divided into specialized majors such as clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, or rehabilitation counseling. Although many of these professionals are employed as school counselors within the educational system, their professional roles are not limited to schools. Counselors in Türkiye may also work in educational institutions, guidance and research centers, social service agencies, higher education settings, human resources units, and certain public service contexts, including areas related to social support and law enforcement. Despite their training within faculties of education and the presence of pedagogical components in their curriculum, counselors in Türkiye possess their own distinct professional identity and scope of practice and are not considered psychologists within the national professional framework (Godelek & Kayar, 2012). From an international perspective, this professional role is, therefore, more comparable to school counselors or psychological counselors, rather than counseling psychologists as defined within the global psychology profession.
Because professional titles reflect different educational pathways, scopes of practice, and regulatory frameworks across countries, clarifying this distinction may help readers more accurately interpret the professional context of the study population described by Sizor (2025). My intention in raising this point is not to critique the contribution of the article, but rather to highlight how differences in professional terminology across national contexts may influence the cross-cultural interpretation of research findings. I hope this clarification may contribute to greater transparency in describing professional roles in international counseling and psychology research and support clearer comparisons across studies conducted in different educational and professional systems.
