<![CDATA[Digital transformation is reshaping how educational institutions provide psychosocial support, yet evidence concerning digital counseling in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) remains fragmented. This review critically examines how digital counseling can be positioned within traditional and modern pesantren under the human-centered vision of Society 5.0. Rather than treating digitalization as a linear process of technology adoption, the review analyzes four interrelated dimensions: contextual readiness, service modalities, ethical and relational safeguards, and compatibility with pesantren values. A critical integrative literature review was conducted using literature identified through academic databases and scholarly sources, with emphasis on publications from 2016 to September 2026 and additional foundational and professional guidance relevant to digital counseling, digital mental health, Society 5.0, and pesantren transformation. Thematic synthesis was used to compare evidence across the literature and to distinguish well-supported findings from contextual assumptions. The review indicates that digital counseling can improve flexibility, accessibility, and continuity of support, but these benefits depend on digital competence, infrastructure, governance, privacy protection, informed consent, risk management, and the preservation of therapeutic alliance. The literature also suggests that modern pesantren generally possess structural advantages for technology adoption, whereas traditional pesantren may possess relational and spiritual resources that can support culturally congruent counseling. These differences should be interpreted as contextual tendencies rather than universal characteristics. The review proposes a value-sensitive implementation framework consisting of readiness assessment, institutional governance, human-led service design, ethical safeguards, culturally responsive practice, and continuous evaluation. The central argument is that Society 5.0-oriented counseling in pesantren should not be technology-led; it should be human-centered, ethically governed, culturally grounded, and digitally enabled.]]>
