Terminology and Definitions
– Variation in terminology worldwide
– English-language spelling difference between US (counseling) and UK (counselling)
– Alternate terms: career guidance, career coaching, guidance counseling, personal guidance, career consulting
– Writers and commentators often combine multiple terms
– Care should be exercised when moving from one terminology to another
– Definition and purpose of career counseling
– Role of career counselors
Employment Counseling
– Focus on acquiring work and getting a job
– Work in government offices, community-based organizations, and for-profit/non-profit businesses
– Diverse salary and working conditions
– Historical roots with the US Department of Labor
– Work in offices for private interviews and in classrooms/boardrooms for group sessions
Benefits and Challenges
– Empirical research supports the effectiveness of career counseling
– Career counselors support clients with career-related challenges
– Help clients gain a better understanding of their personal needs and plan their careers autonomously
– Assist in making tough decisions and getting through times of crisis
– Support clients in finding suitable placements/jobs and resolving conflicts with employers
– Challenge of encouraging participants to engage in career counseling
– Lack of careers advice for a significant percentage of people in the UK
– Some client groups prefer advice from peers or superiors in their profession
– Career advice is given by a range of formal and informal roles
– People seek informal support from friends and family, and rely on career web portals for advice
History and New Approaches
– Career counseling has a history dating back to the late nineteenth century
– Frank Parsons’ ‘Choosing a Vocation’ was a defining work for the field
– Field moved away from the American progressive social reform movement and became a branch of counseling psychology
– Shift from normative approach to individual needs and transferable skills
– Focus on nonlinear, chance, and unplanned influences in career development
– Vocational theories (trait and factor theories, social cognitive theories, developmental theories)
Training, Professional Centers, and Assessment Tools
– There is no international standard qualification for professional career counselors
– Various certificates are offered nationally and internationally
– The number of degree programs in career guidance and counseling is growing worldwide
– The title ‘career counselor’ is unregulated
– Policy makers emphasize the importance of competent career counselors
– Professional career guidance centers exist worldwide
– These centers provide advice on higher studies, courses, and institutes
– Online counseling services and psychometric tests are also available
– Assessment tools are used in career counseling to help clients make realistic career decisions
– The tools fall into three categories: interest inventories, personality inventories, and aptitude tests
– In different regions (United States, Australia, India, Europe, post-Soviet Eurasia) there are variations in career counseling practices and regulations Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_counseling
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
Career counseling is a type of advice-giving and support provided by career counselors to their clients, to help the clients manage their journey through life, learning and work changes (career). This includes career exploration, making career choices, managing career changes, lifelong career development and dealing with other career-related issues. There is no agreed definition of the role of a career or employment counsellor worldwide, mainly due to conceptual, cultural and linguistic differences. However, the terminology of 'career counseling' typically denotes a professional intervention which is conducted either one-on-one or in a small group. Career counseling is related to other types of counseling (e.g. marriage or clinical counseling). What unites all types of professional counseling is the role of practitioners, who combine giving advice on their topic of expertise with counseling techniques that support clients in making complex decisions and facing difficult situations.
| Career counseling | |
|---|---|
| MeSH | D014830 |
