Background: Spiritual health is one of the fundamental dimensions of students’ well-being and holistic development, playing a crucial role in their search for meaning, identity formation, hope, and responsibility.



Objective: The present study aimed to explain and understand the lived experiences of school counselors regarding the promotion of spiritual health among lower secondary school students.



Method: This study was conducted using a qualitative approach within the framework of Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenology. The research population consisted of male school counselors in boys’ lower secondary schools in Tabriz during the 2025–2026 academic year. Data were gathered through 15 semi-structured interviews, utilizing purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) seven-step method.



Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of 16 main themes and 46 sub-themes, representing various dimensions of the phenomenon under study. These findings are organized into four structural axes: 1) the experience and perception of spiritual health as a gradual, internal, and relationship-oriented process; 2) effective factors and strategies, including trust-based relationships, adult role modeling, meaningful dialogue, and linking spiritual concepts with students’ lived experiences; 3) challenges and barriers, categorized into relational, structural, familial, and internal obstacles; and 4) the consequences of promoting spiritual health in terms of students’ emotional, cognitive, moral, and identity development. The results indicated that mutual trust, authentic dialogue, avoiding coercive approaches, and utilizing real-life situations constitute the most effective platforms for strengthening spiritual health.



Conclusion: Based on the analysis of the counselors’ lived experiences, it is concluded that promoting the spiritual health of lower secondary school students requires a paradigm shift from traditional, formal, and coercive methods toward relationship-oriented, interactive models based on adolescents’ lived experiences. The first and most critical step is to provide a “psychologically and spiritually secure environment” within the school setting—an atmosphere free from judgment, labeling, and authoritarianism, where students can express their concerns, existential questions, and identity challenges without fear. As facilitators of this process, counselors can succeed in conveying spiritual concepts only when they establish a relationship built on mutual trust and authentic dialogue with the students.