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Theory and Methodology of Career Counselling

Course developers

Prior knowledge

Peda5025, Career Development Theories

Course abstract

During the study course career counseling theories, peculiarities of the personality of the career counselor, the stages of career counseling, the methods of establishing contact with the client, the types of counselling, as well as the methods of the client's assessment (observation, interview, content analysis and others) are acquired; students get acquainted with the methods of the client's personality exploration and the evaluation of perspectives. They acquire the career counseling in the multicultural environment, at educational institutions and in risk groups, and improve their understanding of the role of supervision in the work of a career counselor, learn to use career planning methods, to design career development programs, and to keep records of the career counselor’s work.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge on the most significant career counseling theories, client assessment methods and types of counseling; on the multicultural counseling and counseling in risk groups, on the requirements regarding the preparation of clients’ files, on the career counseling at educational institutions - 1. and 2. quizzes, practical and independent works.
Skills – able to establish contacts with clients from different groups, to understand and evaluate their individual differences and desires, to explore and evaluate client’s needs and their connection with the desires and opportunities; to counsel in the multicultural environment and risk groups, to organize counseling activities at educational establishments, to counsel pupils from different age groups and students concerning the matters of career selection; to understand and evaluate clients’ individual differences and desires; to counsel teachers on the career selection within the educational content - practical and independent works.
Competences – able to demonstrate client - oriented attitude during counseling, to develop, approbate and evaluate counseling methodology and programs, to choice of appropriate types of counseling; to aggregate and analyze data obtained within the process of career counseling; to design and to provide support for a client for the commensuration of client’s individual qualities, abilities and skills with the competences, necessary for the chosen trend of career; to integrate the theoretical knowledge on career counseling into the practical activities of counseling in according with the specificity of organizational performance, specialization of professional activities and target audience, environmental, including situational, context; to develop, implement and to evaluate within the context of lifelong learning an individual program for career counseling, as well as to give advice to and to support clients in their decision-making; to be aware of the role of supervision and self-development for the career counselor’s activities; to combine different approaches in career counseling; to evaluate research results critically - practical and independent works, exam.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Holistic approach to career counselling.
2. Career counselling and psychological counselling.
3. Structure of career counselling.
4. Methods of personality assessment in career counseling.
5. Reasons for attending a career counselling. Hidden problems.
6. Career difficulties and challenges. Classification of career problems.
7. Types of clients.
8. Career decision-making problems. Features of career decision. Difficulties in decision-making.
9. A modern understanding of career.
10. Types and areas of career counselor activity.
11. Mission of career counselling.
12. Strengthening client’s mindfulness.
13. The role of a career counselor in various counseling situations.
14. Consulting room, structure and content of counselling.
15. Client history – situation and context of life and career.
16. Emotions and feelings in career counseling.
17. Working with a hard (unmotivated, passive, aggressive etc.) clients.
18. Promoting and disturbing beliefs of a career counselor.
19. Client assessment in career choice situation.
20. Group career counselling.
21. Career counseling on the Internet.
22. Record keeping in career counselling.
23. Supervision in career counselling.

Requirements for awarding credit points

80% lesson attendance, active participation in the classes, 2 successfully passed quizzes, 4 independent works and practical activities, successfully passed examination (one question about counselling theories in the master’s thesis; one question about the career counselling process).

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Independent work No. 1 – description and practical demonstration of one method.
Independent work No. 2 – using of video in career classes (for a certain target group).
Independent work No. 3 – a programme or a guidance aid elaborated (10 classes for a target group (90 minutes each) related to the master’s thesis)
Independent work No. 4 – consultation of one client (3 consultations, elaboration of a career development programme and a theoretical justification of consulting process). The volume of work – 25 pages.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The assessment of the study course examination depends on the cumulative evaluation of 2 quizzes, practical works and four independent works, as well as on the examination mark. A quiz is passed successfully if at least 50% of the questions have been correctly answered.
The independent works and practical works are assessed in accordance with the criteria laid down therein.
The final mark is an arithmetic mean of 2 quizzes, 4 independent works, practical works and the examination mark.

Compulsory reading

1. Amundsons N. Aktīvā iesaistīšanās. Esība un darbība karjeras konsultēšanā. [tiešsaiste] 4. izdevums. Rīga: VIAA, 2016. [skatīts 07.02.2019.] Pieejams: https://viaa.gov.lv/library/files/original/Amundsen_book_FINAL.pdf 2. Ertelts B. J., Šulcs V. Karjeras konsultēšanas kompetences. Rīga: VIAA, 2008. 3. Konsultēšanas un psihoterapijas teorija un prakse. G. Ratniece u.c. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2017. 4. Brown S.D., Lent R.W. Career Development and Counseling. Putting Theory and Research to Work. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2013. 5. New perspectives on career counseling and guidance in Europe: Building careers in changing and diverse societies. V.Cohen-Scali, J. Rossier, L. Nota (Eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 6. Supervīzija: teorija, pētījumi, prakse. K.Mārtinsone, S.Mihailova (sast.). Rīga: Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte, 2017. 7. McMahon M. Career Counselling: Constructivist Approaches. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge, 2017. 8. Pāvulēns J., Mārtinsone K., Mihailova S. Konsultatīvais atbalsts skolēniem. Rīga: RaKa, 2018. . 9. Savicks M. Dzīves plānošanas rokasgrāmata. [tiešsaiste] Rīga: VIAA. 2017 [skatīts 07.02.2019.] Pieejams: https://viaa.gov.lv/library/files/original/M.Savicks_Dzives_planosanas_rokasgramata.pdf 10. Zunker V.G. (2012). Career Counselling: A Holistic Approach. 8th ed. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012.

Further reading

1. Čehlovs M. Vidusskolēnu pašnoteikšanās humanitārie aspekti. Rīga: RaKa, 2011. 2. Korna E. Karjeras izglītība: Tukuma 2. vidusskolas pieredze. Rīga: Raka, 2011. 3. Lemešonoka I. Kompetenču pieeja karjeras izglītībā. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2018. 4. Mārtinsone K., Pipere A., Kamerāde D. Pētniecībā: teorija un prakse. Rīga: Raka, 2016. 5. Raščevska M. Psiholoģisko testu un aptauju konstruēšana un adaptācija. Rīga, RAKA, 2005. 6. Rogers C. Client – centred therapy. In: J.J. Kutush, A. Wolf (Eds.) Psychotherapist’s casebook. San Francisko: Jossey – Bass, 1986 7. Stillman D., & Stillman J. Gen Z Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace. Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. 8. Соломин И. (2006). Современные методы психологической экспресс-диагностики и профессионального консультирования. Санкт – Петербург: Речь,

Periodicals and other sources

1. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 2. Journal of Career Development ISSN: 08948453 3. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance ISSN: 1573-1782 (electronic version) 4. Journal of Career Assessment (JCA) eISSN: 15524590

Notes

Compulsory course in the professional higher education master’s study program “Career Counselor” during the 1st and 2 st term of full-time and of part-time studies.