Career Guidance, Coaching and Counselling – an overview A range of terms are used to describe a number of forms of one to one career conversations, which we will book at in turn: career guidance, career counselling and career coaching. We will highlight points of similarity and difference between them. The presentation ends with some questions for you to consider as you relate the ideas in this overview to your own practice.

Career guidance Associated with initial career choice and young people Influenced by Frank Parson’s 1909 work ‘Choosing a vocation’ and a ‘talent matching’ process Led onto, and developed in tandem with, trait-factor or ‘matching’ theories of occupational choice Very influential in the evolution of statutory services in the UK Origins of career guidance. Initial career choice, young people, vocational guidance. Frank Parsons was the founder of the vocational guidance movement. His seminal work ‘Choosing a Vocation’ was published posthumously in 1909, with the key idea about how people choose jobs being initially referred to as the ‘talent matching’ approach (Parsons, 1909). This later developed into what became known as the ‘trait and factor’ or matching theory of occupational choice, generally located within differential psychology Developed in tandem with career development theories. Strong emphasis on assessment and on lmi. Matching/diagnostic – developmental

Key assumptions of a test and tell approach Individual talents and aspects of a job can be objectively measured The practitioner is expert, with privileged knowledge of the labour market Goal = reduce indecision and enhance congruence Alec Rodger (1952) seven attributes: physical characteristics, attainments, general intelligence, specialised aptitudes, interests, disposition and circumstances (originally for use in selection) and John Holland (1966, 1973, 1985, 1992).

Developing approaches to guidance Developmental, learning and constructivist theories on career development have emerged So, too, have person-centred approaches to guidance with an emphasis on self-actualisation and lifelong career development Person centered approaches own much to the work of Carl Rogers, who we will discuss later in the theoretical perspectives section. These approaches are more subjective, practitioner as facilitator not expert. From fit to enablement, integration of work with rest of life, a preference for autobiography and meaning-making. Learning focus. It is the clients who determine prominent themes and stories in their lives, and the practitioner helps them to process and make sense of these elements. The aim of guidance should be: whether the client has been stimulated towards learning and whether the client has been helped adjust to the constant changes in the world of work (Mitchell and Krumboltz, 1996, p.263). Should also be noted that the value of this sort of non-directive guidance robustly criticised by sociologically informed theories – advocates focus on information and placement.

Guidance within a broader service context Career guidance often offered alongside a wider range of services, e.g. vacancy handling, information resources Often conceptualised as a continuum Information Advice Guidance Counselling In its association with statutory services, linked to educational institutions or public employment services, guidance is often based within a wider service context so sitting alongside vacancy management. IAGC continuum Making distinctions between these areas has been important in managing access to resources, or in determining pay and qualifications for those offering different elements.

‘Activities of Guidance’ (OECD, 2004) Informing Advising Counselling Assessing Enabling Advocating Feeding back Teaching Networking Systems change OCED activities of guidance shows a conceptualisation that is wider than one to one work. Used to argue for guidance practitioners holding wider roles. Seen as a public good.

Career Counselling Definition of counselling from BACP website: Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing. Use with career reflects trend away from ‘test and tell’ to person-centred approaches to career help Career Counseling (note spelling) as dominant language in the US The second term we will consider is Origins of counselling A therapeutic response and regulated profession through BACP Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing. So when conjoined with ‘career’ it’s a focus on using one to one dialogue to support people in career development Career Counseling is the dominant language in the US Usage of counselling not guidance Reflects the trend outlined earlier away from test and tell to more developmental and humanistic (ie person centred approaches) to one to one work

Guidance and Counselling Ali & Graham (1996) – a counselling approach to careers guidance Jayasinge (2001) – outlines how counselling has become integral to careers guidance Nathan and Hill (2006) see counselling as overlapping with guidance as ‘help for individuals making choices’ with “directive and prescriptive” connotations” (2) Different writers use terminology differently and draw different distinctions:   e.g. Nathan and Hill career counselling – focus on career and approach rooted in counselling see guidance as ‘help for individuals making choices’ with “directive and prescriptive” connotations(2) and coaching as – development of current career. Overlaps with personal counselling as career involves personal concerns

Coaching Coaching comes from a completely different direction. Coach – something which carries a person on a journey or through a process. Then applied to sports coaching Cox et al argue that it as difficult to define in ways that accurately distinguish it from training, counselling, mentoring. See it as underpinned by adult learning. Has moved from a instructional to a facilitative approach. Other forms of help have been rebranded as coaching (Rogers , 12) Has evolved from more directive to non directive understandings.

Coaching and Counselling Coaching more future oriented – Counselling often reviewing the past Coaching more goal oriented Likely to be accessed differently Another way of thinking about this is clients routes to it: career guidance through a public service relating to work, therapy through mental health distress, coaching through an organisation or privately Coaching literature is very broad and incorporates exec coaching, performance, life coaching, line manager as coach, team coaching and peer coaching. A continuum has developed, from directive to non-directive, which we will explore   Being used in career contexts I’ve observed career coaching language being adopted. Sometimes means a simple shift of how one to one is managed. E.g. a move to repeat appointments, or a more goal oriented approach. IN HE careers work this is often part of the management of resources. Pressure to meet demand and respond to client needs has led to shorter drop in appointments rather than have long waits for longer interventions.

Career Coaching “one of the most focused, results oriented forms of coaching” (Cox et al, 2010: 311) . Linked to organisational literature on career development mid career? Adoption of new models? Commodification? Privatisation? Ongoing vs one off? More present with organisational contexts, and has more connections with the organisational literature on career develop than with vocational psychology or sociology e.g career coaching chapter in Cox et al. Does not cite major theorists Coaching might also reflect the commodification of career help, given the trend to see career development as a private and individualised process. It is easier to marketise and has more currency than guidance. mid career issues become more prevalent – changes in career patterns which require lifelong career management and the handling of transition. Linked to organisational literature on career development, e.g. ‘boundaryless’ and ‘protean’ careers Has been used in HE to refer to shorter but repeat appointments

Questions to consider What terminology is used in the practice settings you have encountered, as a practitioner or a client? Which language do you feel most comfortable with, and why? On a continuum from directive – non-directive, where : a) do you have to operate? b) would you like to operate? Questions as you work through the material

References Ali, L. and Graham, B. (1996). The Counselling Approach to Careers Guidance. London: Routledge. Cox, E., Bachkirova, T. and Clutterbuck, D.A. (2010). The Complete Handbook of Coaching. London: Sage Hazen, B & Steckler, N (2010) ‘Career Coaching’ in E. Cox, T. Bachkirova, and DA Clutterbuck, The Complete Handbook of Coaching. London: Sage Jayasinghe, M. (2001). Counselling in Careers Guidance. Buckingham: Open University Press. Nathan, R. and Hill, L. (2006). Career Counselling. London: Sage OECD (2004) Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap. Paris: OECD. Parsons, F (1909) Choosing a Vocation. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Rogers, J (2012) Coaching Skills: A Handbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press Rodger, A (1952) The seven-point plan, in B Hopson and J Hayes, (eds) The Theory and practice of vocational guidance: A selection of readings Oxford: Pergamon press