Characteristics of counselors-in-training as a mediator between their values and counseling skills

Research on counselors-in-training is necessary to improve the success of the counseling process. The counseling skills used by counselors are critical to managing this process. This paper aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in counseling pedagogy by examining the role of counselor characteristics as a mediator in the relationship between counselors-in-training values and counseling skills. In this study, we had 524 counselors-in-training from various universities in Turkey. The results showed that the values of counselors-in-training significantly predict their counselor characteristics. Specifically, the values of the counselors-in-training predict their counseling skills, with the mediating role of the counselor characteristics. Additionally, the counselor characteristics of the counselors-in-training significantly predicted their counseling skills. Various practices and methods can be applied to improve counseling skills. Given that the development of values allows counselors-in-training to acquire important counselor characteristics, value education is essential in the training of counselors. Individuals who acquire essential counselor characteristics can use their counseling skills effectively.