Career counseling theories

2. 01
Developed by Frank Parson

3. A factor is a
constellation, or pattern
of traits, present in an
individual's overall
thinking, feeling and
behaving.
Things I Can’t Forget
Traits are relatively stable
and enduring patterns
of thinking, feeling and
behaving. Traits are
measurable in aptitude,
achievement,
personality and
interests.

4. Important Notes
It focuses on matching
people’s personalities with
careers. In order to
determine someone’s
personality, this theory
requires taking into
consideration someone’s
abilities or aptitude,
personal values, and
occupational interests.

5. Important Notes
Career and guidance
counselors use trait and
factor theory to assist
an individual in
selecting a vocation. A
number of different trait
and factor theories
exist, but all share one
basic premise: the use
of personal traits to
match an individual with

6. Classify your client
according to a
vocational type from
the Holland Codes.
The six vocational
types are realistic,
investigative, artistic,
social, enterprising,
and conventional.
Things I Can’t Forget
• Evaluate the skills that best define your
client’s career path. Ask your client to
list 10 tasks or skills that he enjoys
completing. Ask him to create a second
list of task/skill proficiency. Compare
the lists for areas they have in
common. Skills that represent
proficiency and high levels of
satisfaction form the foundation of your
client’s career path.
• Work with your client to assess job
environments that are a good fit. She
may love working outdoors, or she may
prefer a bricks-and-mortar office.

7. 02

8. Four Key Points of Person-Environment Fit:
• Work personality and work environment should be a good
match
• Individual’s needs more important when deciding if the
environment is a good fit
• How well a person’s needs match the environment and vice
versa is a good indicator of satisfaction
• Job placement is best done by matching the individual’s
personality with the requirements of the work environment

9. 03
Learning Theory was first proposed by Krumboltz, Mitchell, and Gelatt
in 1975.

10. Important Notes
The main takeaway is that
there is not one thing that
dictates someone’s career
choice. This theory also
stresses that there is not
one career that is best for
a person. Instead, the
theorists emphasize that
someone can grow into a
career as long as they are
willing to expand their

11. Career counselor should be
prepared to assist clients with:
• Exploring new activities,
developing new interests,
and considering new
options based on their new
interests and capabilities.
• Not assuming that careers
are going to remain stable
and preparing for dealing
with a change.
● Implementing the
career choice the
client makes.
● Not just dealing with
the issues of career
selection but dealing
with any career
problem.

12. Career counselor must
provide learning
experiences that help
clients :
• Help client correct or
wrong exaggerated
assumptions.
• Learn new skills ,
interests, and
abilities.
● Develop strategies
for work related
issue including
redundancy and
unemployment.
● Learn skills that help
clients cope with
difficult work tasks
and situations.

13. 04

14. (1) how basic academic
and career interests
develop
(2) how educational and
career choices are
made, and
(3) how academic and
career success is
obtained.
The theory incorporates
a variety of concepts
(e.g., interests, abilities,
values, environmental
factors) that appear in
earlier career theories
and have been found to
affect career
development.

15. Self-efficacy refers to an
individual’s personal beliefs
about his or her capabilities
to perform particular
behaviors or courses of
action.
Personal performance
accomplishments, vicarious
experiences (e.g., observing
similar others), social
persuasion, and
physiological and emotional
states.
Outcome
expectations refer to
beliefs about the
consequences or
outcomes of performing
particular behaviors
(e.g., what will happen if
I do this?).
Personal goals may be
defined as one’s intentions to
engage in a particular activity
(e.g., to pursue a given
academic major) or to attain a
certain level of performance

16. 05

17. • Content is about the
knowledge about oneself
(values, interests, skills,
employment
preferences),
• knowledge about options;
knowledge about
decision-making skills—
and
• knowledge about the
thoughts, emotions, and
metacognitions (self-talk,
self-awareness,
The process involves everything
one must do to make an effective
decision, including:
• defining the gap between
where one is and where one
wants to be, gaining a better
understanding of oneself and
one's options, expanding and
narrowing a list of options,
• valuing and prioritizing
remaining options resulting in
a first choice, executing the
choice by developing a plan
of action for implementation,
and reflecting back upon the
choice.

18. 1. Career choices come from
the interaction of cognition
and affect
2. Making career choices is a
problem-solving activity
3. How well someone can
problem solve depends on
their cognitive abilities and
knowledge
4. Career problem solving
requires a good deal of
memory skills
5. Someone must be motivated
1. Career development relies
on someone continuing to
grow and change their
knowledge
2. Career identity depends on
self-knowledge
3. Maturing in a career depends
on the ability to solve career
problems
4. The goal of career
counseling is achieved by
helping people grow their
information-processing skills
5. The aim of career counseling
is to help people solve career
problems and become better