TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Legislators of various political parties consulted on Thursday (July 11) to amend the Student Guidance and Counseling Act (學生輔導法) after a 10-year hiatus. The Taiwan Counseling Psychologist Union (TCPU, 諮商心理師公會全聯會) urged the government to address the high turnover rate of school counselors and improve their salaries.
Taiwanese schools implement a three-tier counseling system based on students' needs. Hsu Ying-shao (許瑛玿), TCPU's vice president, emphasized that counseling centers are crucial for treatment counseling under this framework; therefore, the law should improve counselor salaries to prevent constant changes in personnel.
Hsu pointed out that starting salaries for counselors do not reflect their need for 1,500 hours of annual professional training and a high-level certification. The current salary cap is just above NT$50,000.
TCPU Executive Director Lin Shang-Neng (林上能) noted that many psychologists move to community practice or private clinics after gaining experience, leading to an average tenure of less than five years in school counseling centers.
Lin believes that many students requiring treatment counseling cannot afford private services and emphasized the need for improvement of the unreasonable salary system to care for students.
The ongoing amendments could bring significant changes to the support system for students, ensuring they receive consistent and professional guidance.
