COUNSELLING IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SOCIAL DESIGN: A THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical and methodological analysis of counselling in the social sphere as an instrument of social design. The relevance of the topic is determined by the transformation of Ukraine’s social reality under the conditions of a full-scale war, the growing number of individuals and families experiencing difficult life circumstances, and the need for systematic, planned, and effective social interventions at the community level. It is demonstrated that social design in social work performs the function of rational construction of social change, combining analytical and diagnostic, prognostic, planning, regulatory, and evaluative components. It is substantiated that counselling, being a normatively established social service, has the potential to go beyond individual response to clients’ requests and can provide an empirical basis for the design of social programmes and services. The diagnostic capacity of counselling in identifying social problems and barriers to access to assistance is revealed, as well as its role in specifying the goals and objectives of social projects through the alignment of service users’ expectations with the professional perspective of social workers. The significance of counselling outcomes for planning social interventions, selecting appropriate forms and methods of support, forecasting consequences, and adjusting project decisions during implementation as a feedback mechanism is emphasised. Particular attention is paid to the methodological aspects of integrating counselling into the project cycle, including its application at the stages of needs assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The article also outlines certain limitations, such as the risk of excessive individualisation of project decisions, the necessity of data generalisation, and the requirements for professional training and ethical balance. It is argued that the systematic use of counselling in the design of social services at the community level contributes to greater methodological coherence and enhances the social effectiveness of interventions.