This is a presentation I gave at the AGM for the The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)

1. Philip Jarvis, Canada’s National Life/ Work Centre:
“To be fully in control of their
own lives, people need to learn
career management skills just
The Counsellor’s role in client as they learn math, science,
language and technical skills.
career success
Career development must
become an ongoing, learning
process for all rather than an
occasional counselling process
Gregg Taylor, CHRP, CCDP for the few ‘who need help’.”
President, BCCDA
Senior Account Manager & Workplace Consultant, Family Services EAP
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“Life is uncertain.
Life is uncertain.
This is one of the
It’s an inconvenient truth’
greatest…’inconvenient truths’
because life’s uncertainty tells us
in the field of career
development. …things about ourselves
that we may not want to hear
Individuals approach career
…and present challenges
counsellors seeking certainty,
we may not want to face”.
and many theories/practices hold Robert Pryor, Jim Bright
out promises of certainty…or at
least reducing uncertainty.” 3 4
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2. Career Development Roles
 Career Advising
 Career Educating
 Career Coaching
 Career Consulting
 Career Counselling
 Employment Counselling
• Purpose is to facilitate the development of
satisfying and meaningful life/work
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Krumboltz proposed a seven stage career
Career counselling: decision-making model (DECIDES):
• helping create a career plan or a • Define the problem: recognizing the
picture of a career identity decision
• Establish the action plan: refining the
• assisting a client to resolve internal decision;
or external conflicts related to • Clarify the values: examining (self-
career (real or perceived) observations & world-view generalisations);
• Identify alternatives: generating
• address the interaction of work and alternatives;
other life roles, build self-esteem • Discover probable outcomes: gathering
and self-confidence information;
• Eliminate alternatives: assessing
• providing support related to job information
stress, job loss, and career • Start action: planning & executing
transition. 7 8
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3. Developmental Theory Donald Super’s vocational counselling:
Development is life long… “The process of helping a
• Individual development is a person to develop an
continuous process integrated and adequate
• The developmental process is picture of himself and of his
irreversible role in the world of work, to
• The result of normal development is test this concept against
increasing maturity
reality and to convert it into a
• Life & world events will impact our reality, with satisfaction to
careers
himself and benefits to
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society” 10
Planned Happenstance
John Krumboltz Luck is no accident - Krumboltz
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”.
 account for planfulness and self-  What unexpected event contributed
management as well as serendipity to you getting your most recent job?
and external forces of change.  What actions had to you taken prior
 recognize unplanned, serendipitous to the event that enabled you to be
events as both inevitable and in the position to experience it?
desirable – stimulate curiosity,
challenge beliefs  What actions did you take after the
 Clients are encouraged to take
event that enabled you to take
planned action to increase ‘chance’ advantage of the opportunity it
meetings; if stuck, get creative and presented?
active 11 12
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4. Wisdom-based Helping - Vance Peavy Jim Bright with Robert Prior
1. How can I form a cooperative alliance Chaos Theory of
with this client? (relationship factor)
2. How can I encourage the self- Careers
helpfulness of this client? (agency
factor) • Each person, from a career development
3. How can I help this client to elaborate
perspective, can be understood as a
and evaluate his or her constructions complex, unique, non-linear, adaptive,
and meanings relevant to this chaotic and open system
decision? (meaning-making factor) • They are sensitive to change, which can
4. How can I help this client to have the effect of producing
reconstruct and negotiate personally disproportionate and unpredictable effects.
meaningful and socially supportable
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realities? (negotiation factor)
According to Chaos Theory of
Careers:
Career Counselling is to…
• Identify where clients are in
‘closed thinking’ and help uncover
their deepest aspirations
• Help clients realize that efforts at
control, certainty, full knowledge
and predictability are limited
• Enable people to accept
complexity and negotiate
uncertainty, change and chance in
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constructive ways
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5. “Change and growth Questions &
takes place when a Discussion
person has risked him
or herself and dares Thank you!!
to become involved
with experimenting Gregg Taylor
with their own life” gtaylor@bccda.org
(and work)
- Herbert Otto 604-306-2507
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