clients. Practitioners have a role to play in helping them to help them cope with
stress as they learn to develop new skills on an ongoing basis.
c) People need to be empowered to take action:
Many issues relevant to career decisions are often overlooked in guidance
practice (for example, a family’s reaction to taking a particular job). This could
cause a fear of the decision making process (referred to by Krumboltz as
`zeteophobia’) or cause delay in making a decision. Practitioners need to be
prepared to help with these issues as well as providing effective support during
the exploration process.
d) Career Practitioners need to play an extended role:
Career and personal counselling should be integrated. Issues such as burnout,
career change, peer relationships, obstacles to career development and
the work role itself together with its effect on other life roles are examples of
potential problems that should attract the support of the careers practitioner.
2.2 other suggestions:
o The role of careers practitioners and the goals of careers guidance and
counselling need to be re-evaluated. Practitioners actively need to promote
client learning. This may require creative re-thinking which involves designing
new learning experiences for clients (e.g. careers practitioners become coaches
and mentors to help clients meet the changes in work force requirements). It
will also involve developing flexibility in clients (e.g. teaching clients that the
criteria for work satisfaction are likely to change over time, as are labour market
requirements).
o Learning experiences should be used to increase the range of opportunities that
can be considered in career exploration. Practitioners should attempt to discover
unlimited experiences among clients and offer proper learning solutions.
o Assessment results (of aptitudes, interests, beliefs, values and personality types)
can be used to create new learning experiences. For example, aptitude test
results can be used to focus on new learning. Key interests identified through
assessment need to be developed. The key issue for practitioners is to resist
accepting test results as an indication of `given’ abilities. Rather, as a framework
for identifying areas for change and development.
o Intervention strategies suggested by Mitchell and Krumboltz (1996) include
those which are:
