content. The basic counseling strategy to be followed consists of these
ten points:
- Ascertain the client’s (P’s) requirements (needs, values), capa-
bilities (skills, abilities), and personality style characteristics. - Ascertain the various Es with which P is interacting and
which of these Es are most salient. - Ascertain the response requirements, reinforcement capabili-
ties, and style characteristics of each E (time permitting) or
each salient E (if time is limited). - Ascertain P’s perception of PEC (P-E correspondence) for
each E and compare it with the counselor’s perception;
explore the significant differences, if any. - Ascertain P’s motivation for counseling, that is, P’s career
development stage, whether exploration (still looking) or pre-
establishment (deciding on one from among a few). - If in exploration, help P develop a long list (not so much
many as wide-ranging), then a short list (one or two, no
more than three or four), of potential career occupations to
consider. - Ascertain the response requirements, reinforcement capabili-
ties, and style characteristics of each E on the short list. - Ascertain P’s perception of PEC for each potential career E.
- If in pre-establishment, discuss the implications of degree of
PEC with the target career E or Es, that is, predicted satisfac-
toriness and satisfaction. - Discuss the implications of other factors (for example, family
responsibilities, cost of training in time and money, other
financial considerations, willingness to relocate, alternative
career pathways, future job prospects).
These ten points are not necessarily discrete or set in this par-
ticular sequence. Some may occur simultaneously, or there may be
460 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT