Career counseling in the future: constructing, collaborating, advocating - Career Counseling in the Next Decade

Career Development Quarterly, Sept, 2003 by Mei Tang

Professional identity and organization should be remembered as another asset of career counseling. The National Career Development Association will celebrate its 90th anniversary and is one of the founding divisions of the American Counseling Association (Herr & Shahnasarian, 2001). Today, career intervention services are available in various settings, including career development centers on college campuses, guidance departments in schools, business and organizational settings, and community agencies. The scope of services is enormous, ranging from career exploration programs for younger students to helping undecided students select a major to job placement and work adjustment. Career development has been adopted by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) as a key component in the national standards of comprehensive school counseling programs (ASCA, 1998).

Internal Weakness

The career development literature has demonstrated impressive growth in its ability to advance theoretical concepts and to address individual differences (e.g., gender, racial/ethnic background, disability, and socioeconomic class) in the last few decades (Arbona, 2000; Cook, 1991; Luzzo & MacGregor, 2001 ; Subich, 1994). Nevertheless, it is not certain that career counselors use the ideas in the literature and from research results in actual practice. The lack of cohesiveness between practitioners and researchers presents a problem for the validity of both theory and practice (Walsh & Savickas, 1996). In fact, very few researchers have investigated the outcome of career intervention, career counseling evaluation, or process variables (Subich, 1994; Swanson & Parcover, 1998). Only 37 of 311 studies reviewed for the period of 1996-1998 by Toman (2000) suggested future studies on career intervention. As stated by Lucas (1996), "Practitioners rarely use journal articles as reference source, and for good reason" (p.82). Why would career counseling practitioners consult journals that lack articles about career intervention strategies?

In addition, there is a lack of ecological consideration in using career theories and methods. Researchers (Blustein, 1994; Cook, Heppner, & O'Brien, in press; Fouad, 2001) have recognized contextual factors' influence (e.g., sex roles, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, and environment in which one grows up) on a person's career development. However, integration of contextual factors into career intervention strategy is yet to be developed. Many existing career intervention programs are not sensitive to the restraints and resources in an individual's environment; therefore, the likelihood for successful implementation of an intervention is low.

Unfortunately, most career counselors, unless trained with career specialization in their degree programs, have inadequate training in career development and career counseling. Tinsley (2001) attributed insufficient vocational psychology training in many counseling psychology programs to the marginalization of the profession. He asserted that the focus of career development has been removed from training and service because health insurance does not ordinarily cover the costs of career counseling. Holland (1996) also emphasized the inadequacy of the training that career counselors received when he analyzed the deficiencies and problems in practitioners of career counseling. Another example can further illustrate the problem that career counselors are facing. Students in master's-level training programs across the United States are only required to take one course in career development by the accreditation standard of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs or state licensure.