1.2. Group interview: pairs of two are formed and each interviews his/her partner
in turn. The questions in the interview can be about family, moving from their
native country, hobbies, etc. At the end they each introduce their partner to the
group.
1.3. The house I was born in. Everyone must think about the house they spent
their childhood in and tell the others certain things about it. The participants may
share why they left their place of origin.- My life
2.1. Living space. The exercise aims the clarification of counselling objectives
and the planning of professional development, but the discussion may go beyond
the existing education, training, and employment offers. A holistic approach to
the human being is adopted, targeting other dimensions of life alongside
profession. Members are thus requested to examine their own life space and
express it in various ways. At the end they explain these products to the group,
their significance in relation to their own career. The counsellor intervenes to
signal problematic issues and pertinent alternatives for each member.
2.2. Lifeline. Each client will freely illustrate on paper his/her own life in its
various stages from birth to present. Group members will focus on key moments
in their careers (school, choosing a specialty, changing careers, professional
experiences, etc.). Since it is a time consuming exercise it will be assigned as
homework, and in the case of immigrants they will be asked to highlight the
difficulties encountered in adapting to the new cultural context.- Planning for the future
Group members are invited to develop a vocational plan that will include the training
objective or the representation of the future job.
3.1. My favourite future. A vision of the future is drawn on paper, then a common
attempt to identify the necessary steps to make the vision reality.
3.2. My possible alternatives for the future. Several scenarios are permitted, they
are then compared, and the most attractive and plausible identified.Adapting counselling to the communication style
Direct context presupposes mainly inclusion of information in the verbal message, and
less in the context or relating it to the other participants. It is therefore compulsory when
working with clients from cultures such as German, Scandinavian, American, etc. to
become aware of their heterogeneity and individuality and use a direct communication
style, characterized by independence, self-determination, and a considerable interpersonal