Career decision-making Jukka Lerkkanen

Guidance and counseling offer the possibility for students to explore realities and opportunities for their future. Guidance and counseling services are organized by self- help, brief assisted or individual case managed services. The guidance and counseling process will enhance clients’ empowerment in making decisions concerning their life. (Lerkkanen 2012). The aim is to support clients’ plans and choices that enhance hope, responsibility and independence by improving their decision-making process. Guidance and counseling

1.Several solutions exist. 2.There is a dependence on internal and external variables. 3.There is some uncertainty about the result. 4.The solutions are very meaningful for life. Educational and Career choice problems

How clear is the goal? How much risk is included in transition? How much guidance and counseling is needed in transition? What kind of transition situations exist in Following Pictures?

Berliini, Tiergarten

There are many methods to clarify needs: – Initial interview – Conversation with guidance and counseling practitioners – Information about needs for support in former studies – Willingness for guidance – Holland Hexagon –model – Need assessment measure Needs assessment

The Bridge model for the career decision- making process is based on the CIP Pyramid and the CASVE Cycle (Peterson, Sampson, & Reardon, 1991) The Bridge model includes a Needs Assessment Measure (based on Career Thought Inventory; Sampson, Peterson, Reardon & Lenz, 1996) and exercises which help students to become more effective career decision makers The Bridge model for career decision making

Execution Valuing Synthesis Analysis Communication I’m choosing my next education I have reached my goals Jukka Lerkkanen 04/2009 Self-knowledge Occupational knowledge

11 Screening Screening is key to the success of differentiated service delivery Screening avoids – Overserving high readiness young people and adults with costly individualized interventions that are not needed – Underserving low readiness young people and adults with inadequate interventions from staff who are unaware of the substantial needs of the young person or adult

12 Screening Screening provides staff with a better chance to cost-effectively meet the needs of young people and adults in career centers and schools Screening also helps to better allocate staff resources – staff will be able to serve more young people and adults, or – spend more time with young people and adults with substantial needs

There is an obvious requirement for needs assessment, because – the needs are individual, – there are different kinds of steps of life-span, even during higher education studies, and, – there could be different kinds of needs in guidance and counseling content areas: guidance and counseling for learning, guidance and counseling for choosing a career, and guidance and counseling for supporting personal growth Needs assessment

Negative career thoughts are measured by the CTI related to readiness for career decision-making and problem-solving (Sampson et.al 2004) Readiness for career decision-making indicates the need for guidance and counseling (Sampson et.al 2004, Lerkkanen 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011) Needs assessment

The author has created readiness measures for compulsory education, high-schools, upper secondary vocation and in addition for adults in different life situations (unemployment, career change planners, adult education). The items are more contextualized and they have been created for different target groups compared to the original CTI Three factors: Decision-Making Confusion, External Conflict, and Commitment Anxiety Needs assessment

Execution Valuing Synthesis Analysis Communication I’m choosing my next education I have reached my goals Decision-Making Confusion Commitment Anxiety External Conflict Jukka Lerkkanen 04/2009 Self-knowledge Options knowledge

The client has not proceeded in his or her decision making process. The client may have difficulty in finding his or her options. The client may not be interested in searching for his or her options. The client wants to consider his or her choice, The client has a lack of required information, The client has a lack of self-knowledge, The choice situation is too complex even to begin The educational or career choice is meaningless to the client Related to Self-knowledge and Options Knowledge and as well as Communication, Analysis, and Synthesis phases Decision-Making Confusion (DMC)

The choice is depended on opinions of the closest ones or some other external aspects. Fear of disagreeing with other family members Dependence on opinions of significant others Fear of being a ”looser” in their social context Economical factors Health factors Social factors Related to the Valuing phase External Conflict (EC)

The client has a lot of opportunities. The client has so many possibilities that it is difficult to make solutions Unable to limit choices to 1-2 options, Need to find the perfect choice Anxious that the client will miss some good option. Related to Self-knowledge and Options Knowledge, as well as the Execution phase Commitment Anxiety (CA)

20 Differentiated Service Delivery Instead of one level of service for all, three levels of service are needed to meet individual needs ranging from those who are: – self-motivated and able to learn successfully on their own – suffering from low readiness for decision- making who need substantial assistance to successfully learn

21 Differentiated Service Delivery The three levels of service include – Self-help services for young people and adults with high readiness for decision making – Brief staff-assisted services for young people and adults with moderate readiness – Individual case-managed services for young people and adults with low readiness

individual case managed services 26% self-help services 22% brief-assisted services 39% external network 13% Needs for information, guidance and counseling services (Upper secondary school 2008, N=241)

External Network Execution Valuing Synthesis Analysis Communication I’m choosing my next education I have reached my goals Decision Making Confussion Commitment Anxiety External Conflict Self-help services Brief-assisted services Individual case- managed services Jukka Lerkkanen 04/2009 Self-knowledge Options knowledge

Example in Finnish

1.Communication = create the relationship, identify the gap – Discussion about: how are you, hobbies, what brings you here today – Agreement of working together: how do we work, what is the purpose, confident – Homework: Measuring the readiness for career decision-making Client version

2. Analysis = the existing / needed information – What educational/vocational options you have? (Bridge- model) – What do you have already done for reaching your goals? – What kind of experimental knowledge do you have concerning your goals? – Homework: Gathering more information about those choices which the student has prioritized Client version

3. Synthesis = narrowing / expanding – What kind of information do you find about those choices which you have prioritized – What options do you want skip now ?/ What options are interesting, but you want to know more – Homework: Show the list of options to your family and discuss what are their opinions Client version

4. Valuing = final prioritizing – What were the options of your family – The beginning of matrix –exercise – Homework: Finishing the matrix –exercise: gather more detailed information, make the evaluation between the options, discuss with your family concerning the results. Client version

5. Execution = implementation of the choice – The plan for implementation – The needed support – The follow-up – Homework: Implement your choice and report how do you have managed to do it Client version

Decision-Making Confusion 0,931 Commitment Anxiety 0,877 External Conflict 0,748 Total Score 0,943 N=1835, second year students in Upper Secondary Vocational Education in Jyväskylä and Tampere area (Lerkkanen, 2012) Reliabilities of need assessment measure (Cronbach’s alpha)

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