Vocational Guidance: Counseling

Vocational counseling began in the United States with Frank Parsons' (founder of the guidance movement in 1909 in Boston) "scientific" approach. He recommended a counseling procedure in which the individual studied himself, studied the occupational world, and then by "true reasoning" made a choice based on the facts. Even though some of these activities are still involved, many advances have been made in vocational guidance and counseling. The counseling relationship conditions of counselor congruence, acceptance, and empathy are as important in vocational counseling as in any counseling relationship. This relationship permits a counseling climate in which the individual may express his or her hopes and fears about self and the occupational world.

To assist the individual in integrating the information about himself and the occupational world and to evolve a plan for career development is the encompassing objective of vocational counseling. Robert H. Dolliver and Richard E. Nelson, Professor of Guidance, Purdue University, present some assumptions about vocational counseling. They point out common false assumptions held by the general public, test makers, counselors, and clients. They conclude by proposing some working assumptions. Weston H. Morrill and David J. Forrest suggest that counseling practice has not reflected the current thinking about career development and go on to describe four type of vocational counseling.



John O. Crites compares and contrasts major approaches to career counseling. He analyzes them across common dimensions of theory and technique to identify their relative strengths and weaknesses Crites examines the trait and factor, client centered, psycho dynamic, developmental, and behavioral approaches to counseling in terms of diagnosis, the process, outcomes, interview techniques, test interpretation, and the use of information.