Vocational counseling can be approached from several perspectives:
- interests (trait) model
- abilities model
- values model
- or various combinations of the above.
General principles:
- Process is more important than test results.
- Active role of client is more useful than passive reciepent.
- Decision making is more critical than discovery.
- It is less about finding the “right” career for a client than about helping the client choose a career path.
- Avoid rigid, absolute, dichotomous thinking in decision making and solutions.
- Neither interests nor values imply success.
- Long term goals may require long term planning and effort.
- The client probably has multiple important motivations, only a subset of which may be on table for discussion.