International cooperation contacts for student support services from MAKÜ to Berlin

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) continues its international contacts to develop services that support students' psychological well-being. In this context, a working visit to Berlin, the capital of Germany, was organized between September 28 and October 2, 2026, in line with the project conducted on behalf of the MAKÜ Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PDR) Research and Application Center and supported by the European Union Civil Thought Program.

The MAKÜ delegation, consisting of Prof. Dr. Özlem Tagay, Prof. Dr. Fatma Çalışandemir, Expert Teacher İsmail Çevikbaş, Expert Guidance Teacher Ebru Sayar, and Vocational School Secretary Fatih Sayar, had the opportunity to meet with different institutions to examine the support services offered to students on-site.

Student support services were examined on-site

One of the important stops of the visit program was the Student Services Institution, which provides social and psychological support services to higher education students in Berlin. In meetings with the institution's officials, services addressing students' psychosocial needs, psychological counseling practices, financial support mechanisms, and accommodation services provided through student dormitories were discussed.

During the meetings, information was shared about practices that support students' academic lives and personal development, and evaluations were made regarding the institutional functioning of these services and their structuring according to student needs.

Practices in Europe will illuminate MAKÜ's work

As part of the Berlin program, academic and administrative level meetings were held with relevant educational institutions, primarily Freie Universität in Berlin. The contacts focused on the working models of student support units in European universities, intervention strategies for crisis situations, and innovative approaches in the field of psychological counseling.

It is aimed that the information and experiences obtained from the working visit, where international good practice examples were examined, will contribute to the future activities of the MAKÜ PDR Research and Application Center. It is planned that the gains obtained within the scope of the project will be reflected in the university's campus life, student support services, and student-centered policies.