1. Career Management Skills CAREER COUNSELLING BASED ON CHOICE THEORY
CROSS BORDER SEMINAR 2012
Career Management Skills
CAREER COUNSELLING BASED ON CHOICE THEORY
Mirjana Zećirević
Bled, May, 2012

2. Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje
Reasons for career counseling
Transitional periods
Stress related work issues
Loss of job
or all of the above 2

3. The Career Counseling Process
Exploration
Incorporates
several
stages
Planning
Evaluation

4. Why Do We Need Theories? Theories help explain human behavior
Theories guide us in what we do with clients
Theories help understand the factors in the process of decision making
Theories help us make hypothesis about a client’s future behavior

5. Career Behavior Theories:
Trait and Factor Theories: Stress an individual’s need to develop his or her “traits”(interests, values, skills) as well as select environments that compliment those traits - Holland
Developmental Theories: Share the assumption that factors related to career choice are also related to stages of personal and psychological development– Donald Super
Learning Theories: Describe the learning processes by which an individual gains self-efficacy and what effect this has on the career decision-making process - Krumboltz
Socioeconomic theories: Focus on socioeconomic status and the influence of sociological and economic factors on occupational choice – Dual labour market theory
Social - Cognitive theories: Focus more on the personal constructions people place on events related to career and decisions making – Lent, Brown, Hacket: social cognitive career theory

6. William Glasser’s Choice Theory
is used in different settings:
In counseling (individual and group) – Reality Therapy
In schools – Glasser’s Quality Schools
Organisations/companies – Lead management

7. Choice Theory /Reality Therapy in career counseling
The client and the counselor explore the client’s wants and needs.
Focus on conscious, planned behavior, on responsibility and choice.
Trustful relationship between a client and a counselor is crucial
Helps clients look at the consequences of their own actions.

8. Choice Theory /Reality Therapy in career counseling
Instead of seeking to change behavior, the counselor works on changing awareness of responsibility.
Once responsibility is acknowledged by the client, it is then possible to work on behavior change
The locus of the decision is placed on the client
The only person you can control is yourself
Behavior = an attempt to get what we want

9. Comparison to Choice Theory
Donald Super’s Life-Span Theory of Career Development
People have different abilities, interests and values and are qualified for different occupations
People change over time and with experience and so too do their abilities, interests and values
People go through life stages whereby they experience growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance and decline in their career life.
Choice Theory
Each indvidual is unique, has its own quality world (what they want to achieve)
People change their quality world over time, as well as their possiblities
People go through life fulfilling their needs their wishes; making choices and decisions that take into account past experience and their current perception on themselves

10. Comparison to Choice Theory
Make self-assessment (explore needs and wishes)
Understand circumstances/ reality
Make best possible choice at the current circumstances based on self-assessment
Frank Parson’s model
A person should:
Understand one’s self
Understand job requirements
Choose a career that is based upon knowledge and logic.

11. Comparison to Choice Theory
Holland’s Theory
Vocational goals are related to a person’s identity
People are not as happy with their career if they have not chosen one that is congruent with their personality type
A match between personality type, and the environment which supports that type, leads to greater career satisfaction
Choice Theory
People make choices upon their assessed needs, wishes and goals, taking into consideration the circumstances.
People make best possible choices in order to achieve satisfaction

12. Comparison to Choice Theory
Social Cognitive Theories
The interaction between people and environment is dynamic and ever changing
More emphasis is placed on self- regulatory cognitions, including self- efficacy
Career related behavior is influenced by a person’s behavior in general, beliefs about self-efficacy, outcomes and goals, and genetically determined characteristics.
People’s interests lie in their belief that they can do these things well.
Choice Theory
From the environment we get information; each individual decide upon current perception which is changing over time
Each person is responsible for his/her own choices. People have direct control over their activities and thoughts
People can change their thoughts (the way how they see things) and their activities (what they do).
People can choose to see themselves as people who can do things well.

13. Cognitive Aspects of Career counselling based on Choice Theory
The assessments :
Explore his/her wants and how they relate to their needs;
Explore his/her behavior - what they are doing and thinking to meet those needs;
Evaluate behavior in relationship to those needs /Does it help?
Assess other possible choices
Plan to change behavior to more effectively meet needs

14. Exercize
You have a choice in everything that you do and feel at your work /life?
You are only responsible for your own behaviour?
You can’t make anybody feel or do anything?
Nobody can make you feel or do anything?

15. Exercize
In pairs or small groups make a list of what you feel individuals/people need (in their career, life..)
Make another list of what your wants and expectations are/were.
Discuss as a group

16. Exercize In pairs, have a role play Person A can play the therapist
Person B can play him/herself
Person B needs to think about something that she/he wants, that he/she has not got yet.
Person A can use the ways to help the client discover what that want is, what they are doing now to get it, to evaluate behavior, assess the possible choices and make plan...

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