Nilai-Nilai Bimbingan dan Konseling Bidang Sosial dalam Tradisi Tolobalango Masyarakat Gorontalo

Abstract

This study examines the social values embedded in the Tolobalango wedding tradition of Gorontalo and evaluates their potential as a basis for guidance and counseling services in the social domain. Against a backdrop of modernization and weakening collective practices, the research aims to identify core community values such as mutual cooperation, communal deliberation, responsibility, and respect and to analyze how these values can be operationalized within counseling practice. The discussion synthesizes ethnographic descriptions of Tolobalango with theoretical perspectives from guidance and counseling, proposing that the tradition’s practices offer contextualized materials for group guidance, reflective activities, and community-engaged interventions. Implications for practice include culturally responsive program design, collaboration with adat leaders and families, and reflective modules to foster empathy and social skills. The study contributes conceptually by bridging local wisdom and counseling theory, and practically by outlining pathways for context-sensitive service development.