Tarık Totan

Approach

I have worked in guidance and psychological counseling for over twenty years. One question sits at the centre of that work: which processes carry a school-age child or adolescent toward well-being, and which pull them away from it?

I approach it from two directions. On one side are risk behaviours — internet and gaming addiction, substance use, peer bullying, test anxiety, disengagement from school. On the other are protective processes — recognising and regulating emotions, empathy, responsible decision-making, hope, self-esteem, and the support provided by family and school. Most of my work examines how these two sides balance one another.

Understanding what reduces a student's test anxiety, which students are more exposed to bullying, or whether loneliness or unhappiness weighs more heavily behind a turn toward the internet, also determines where and when a school counselor should intervene. The map below shows where my work concentrates and where those areas intersect.