Module 7: Phase 1 of Career Counselling

Beginning Tasks

Need to clarify the client’s concerns, expectations, and goals for career counselling

• Important for positive working alliance

• enables the client to give informed consent about their continued engagement n the process

Informed consent process:

• Outlining structure, number/length of sessions, client and counsellor roles, fees, confidentiality

• Often info provided before the client “enters the room”

“Joining With”

Invitation to talk: “How can I be useful today?”, “What brings you here to career counselling?”

Acknowledging Assessment Tools

Clarifying Career Counselling Goals: what the clients want to achieve from experience with a counsellor

• Need to be SMART

• If they are not clear at the beginning thats okay - work towards clarifying them

• Timing of goal identification depends on nature of career counselling (1 or several sessions)

Topics Addressed in Phase 1

1. Client’s view of self

   • How do the describe themselves, worldview, view of future

   • Health and physical status

2. Client’s family

   • Whom it includes, relationship type and quality, culture

   • Their influences on the client’s career, their goals and expectations

3. Educational background

   • Type and level, openness to additional education

4. Work and life experience

   • Previous work/learning experiences

   • Influences on attitudes, behaviour, goals

5. Significant individuals in client’s life

   • Role models and their influence

   • Sources of support

At this stage clients are often reluctant or resistant to, therefore the counsellor helps them to explore new perspectives, empathically and constructively challenges the client’s excuses, evasiveness, distortions, and negative self-statements

Even though a lot of the time clients tend to overtly focus on the external career world to guide their career decisions (what jobs are available, what uni degree to do, etc), the need really lies in the internal world exploration (What am I going to do with the rest of my life?), it helps to clarify options and possibilities, as well as issues and difficulties regarding career development

How do different theories suggest going about the Exploration stage:

• Holland’s Theory

  • Collect information to support understanding of client’s RIASEC code

  • Explore the client’s congruency, consistency, and aspirations; could use a career wheel

• Super’s Theory

  • Understanding the array of career development tasks confronting the client, and the client’s life-role salience

  • Helps the counsellor to understand the client’s life-role self-concepts (career wheel)

• Krumboltz’s theory

  • Information to understand client’s self-observation generalisations, career beliefs, and learning experiences influential in the client’s career development

Career theories help to guide the developing understanding of the client’s story situation. They provide vocabulary for the client and counsellor to use, which helps conceptualise the career concerns. However, it is important to be guided by the client, not the theory.

Tools and Techniques

Storytelling

• Purpose:

  • Helps clients reflect on life experiences to discover career-relevant themes.

  • Encourages self-awareness, clarity of values, and sense of purpose.

  • Supports identity formation and career decision-making.

How It Works:

• Story Sharing:

  • Client shares meaningful experiences (e.g. success, challenge, proud moment, moment of flow).

  • Focus is on emotions, actions, context, and outcomes.

• Theme Identification:

  • Counselor helps identify:

    • Values

    • Skills

    • Motivations

    • Emotions

    • Strengths

• Pattern Recognition:

  • Multiple stories are analyzed to find recurring themes or threads.

  • Patterns may relate to:

    • Types of roles the client enjoys

    • Preferred environments

    • Key motivators or goals

• Career Application:

  • Themes are linked to potential career paths or educational choices.

  • Helps in setting goals, exploring options, and making decisions.

Tools That Support Storytelling:

• Pattern Identification Exercise

• Career Construction Interview (Savickas)

• Lifeline or timeline storytelling

• Vision letters or narrative journaling

Example:

• A student tells a story about planning a charity event.

  • Identified themes: leadership, planning, teamwork, community focus.

  • Potential careers: event management, NGO work, social enterprise.

Flow Zone (in Storytelling & Career Counselling)

• Refers to being fully engaged, focused, and energized during an activity.

• Time feels like it flies by; task feels challenging but enjoyable.

• Concept from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (positive psychology).

In Storytelling Technique:

• Clients often describe flow moments in stories (e.g. “I lost track of time…”).

• These moments indicate:

  • Natural strengths and interests

  • Tasks that are intrinsically motivating

  • Environments where the client thrives

Counsellor’s Role:

• Listen for signs of flow in client stories.

• Ask questions to explore flow experiences:

  • "What were you doing?"

  • "Why was it so engaging?"

  • "Would you like to do more of that?"

Why Flow Matters:

• Helps identify meaningful career tasks or directions.

• Builds awareness of client’s passions, skills, and ideal work conditions.

• Supports career choices that lead to fulfilment and motivation.

Example:

• A client says they lost track of time while designing a poster.

  • Counsellor explores interests in graphic design, creativity, or visual communication.

🌟 Miracle Question

• A future-focused question used to help clients imagine their ideal life without current barriers.

• Example:
  “If you woke up tomorrow and a miracle had happened — your career problems were gone — what would your life look like?”

• Helps reveal:

  • Core desires and values

  • Goals and aspirations

  • Clues for preferred future career paths

🕰 Timeline of Life

• A visual/narrative tool where clients map key life events (highs, lows, turning points).

• Helps identify:

  • Significant experiences

  • Recurring themes or patterns

  • Skills developed over time

• Supports clients in constructing a coherent career story and finding meaning in past events.

Metaphors in Career Counseling

• Metaphors are symbolic comparisons used to help clients make sense of their career journey in a more personal, relatable way

• They make abstract career ideas easier to understand, especially when clients feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unclear

Why Use Metaphors?

• Simplifies complex emotions or decisions

• Encourages self-reflection and storytelling

• Makes counseling more engaging and visual

• Helps clients see their situation from a new perspective

Common Career Metaphors

• Career as a Journey: Life path with detours, milestones, crossroads, or roadblocks; encourages exploration, adaptability, and personal growth

• Career as a Story: You’re the author or main character writing your life story; helps construct a meaningful narrative

• Career as a Garden: Careers grow with nurturing, time, and patience; emphasizes development, seasons of change, and balance

• Career as a Puzzle: Finding the right fit between skills, values, and environment; encourages exploration and self-understanding

• Career as a Game or Climb: Focus on strategy, goals, and leveling up; motivates goal setting and persistence

How Counselors Use Metaphors

• Invite clients to choose or create their own metaphor

• Use metaphors to frame problems or solutions

• Explore what the metaphor reveals about the client’s feelings, beliefs, or needs

• Help clients reframe their story using a more empowering metaphor