The Feasibility of Spiritual Counseling for Child Victims in the Turkish Legal Support System

In judicial processes, giving value to and providing support for the victim is a new understanding. With the acceptance of child protection laws and the implementation of the judicial support system in our country, the protection and rehabilitation of children are ensured by laws. The measures to be applied for children and the procedures for adjudication are determined by laws. Cases involving children can be categorized into two main groups: civil and criminal proceedings, which can vary significantly from divorce to guardianship, from ordinary crimes to severe offenses like abuse. Additionally, children can be involved in judicial processes as victims, plaintiffs, witnesses, or offenders. To support children in these processes, judicial support specialists are assigned to accompany and assist them. This is because the judicial process can be traumatic and cause secondary trauma for children. This paper will question the feasibility of providing spiritual counseling within the scope of help activities designed and envisaged for children in the victim position during the judicial process, rather than focusing on child adjudication procedures. Spirituality is a concept that individuals may need at any time and is known to be an internal resource that provides strength during difficult times. The attitudes and competencies of judicial support specialists are important regarding spiritual counseling, but the feasibility of spiritual counseling within the legal framework points to a structural issue. Indeed, this subject has academic, public, and practical dimensions. In the academic dimension, field research and theoretical and practical aspects highlight scientific knowledge, while in the public dimension, legal and institutional regulations ensure the implementation and effectiveness of services for victimized children. In practice, there are both public and academic practices. In this study, by using the documentation method, laws, regulations, and legislation related to the judicial support system were examined, and the feasibility of spiritual counseling for victimized children within the judicial support system was analyzed. As a result, even though there is no explicit provision in the legislation, spiritual counseling can be implemented within the scope of preventive measures and activities. However, it was found that this implementation may encounter difficulties and that the institutions and specialists involved may need to take individual initiatives and responsibilities. Therefore, it is evaluated that specialized laws, institutions, and academic studies are necessary for the implementation of spiritual counseling for victimized children.