The High Career Dream: A career
counselling model
The impact of a career counselling
model and the implications for HE
Guidance Services
Orlaith Tunney, orlaith.tunney@tcd.ie
Careers Adviser
Trinity College Dublin
Warwick University, 22nd May 2014
The University of Dublin, Trinity College
Careers Advisory Service
www.tcd.ie/Careers
High Career Dream & MA Research
Review of
Research
Background
High
Career
Dream
Influences
Explain
Model
Impact of a
career
counselling
model and
implications
for HE
Findings of
Research
Recommendations
for CAS
High Career Dream: Influences
Projective identity theory: projection of aspects of self onto other people or the
projected on themselves across time and place, to help a client re-experience that
projection in the moment and “re-own” or integrate that sense of self back into their
awareness. (Mindell 1985 & Perls 1969)
High Career Dream is aimed at accessing the emotional and psychological identity
that is embodied within a person’s perception of their future vocational self. In so
doing, the “projected sense of being” behind a person’s career aspirations is
harnessed. This process facilitates emotional access and a closer personal sense
of an individual’s projected vocational identity (Richardson, 2012).
Exercise
Choose an object in the room
High Career Dream Model Overview
Building the Evidence Base: returns on
investment in guidance practice
National Centre for Guidance in Education, March
2013
Dearbhla Kelly, Donegal Adult Learner Guidance
Service, Letterkenny
http://vimeo.com/80362361
High Career Dream Process
High
Dream
Next Steps
A- Acknowledge
I- Invite
S- Support
Embodied
feeling
Low Dream
Mary’s High Career Dream Process
2. Do art
part-time in
parallel with
studies
3. Secure
development
work
experience
1. Stay with
European
Studies
AIS
High Dream
•Helping people
•Hands on
•Making money
•Diversity of tasks
•Dealing w people
•Travel
•Wearing suit in
chaotic office in
UN in NYC
•Tingling
•Empowered
•Feels right
•Content
•Energetic
High Career Dream: Summary of Model
Clarifying
Exploring &
Contracting
ACKNOWLEDGE
INVITE
SUPPORT
A
I
S
Next Steps
A, I, S (High Career Dream Process) = Evaluate Phase (Ali and Graham)
The impact of a career counselling
model and the implications for HE
Guidance Services
The career counselling model= High Career
Dream
Research Questions
1. What theoretically informed framework is
useful to evaluate clients’ experiences
after a career counselling intervention?
2. Using the response to Research Question
One, what is the impact of the career
counselling intervention on clients?
3. In light of answers to Research Questions
One and Two, what are the implications
for career education advice information
and guidance services?
Research Methods
Impact of Career
Counselling?
•Literature review
•Constructionist
•Theoretical triangulation
•2 Evaluation Theorists
•3 Career Decision Making
Theorists
Evaluation
Framework
•Qualitative
•Recorded career counselling
intervention
•Recorded and transcribed 8 semi
structured interviews immediately
after intervention and two weeks
later
•“respondent validation” Densombe
(2008 )
•High Career Dream Model
•Evaluation Framework
Recommendations
to HE Careers
Services
Career Counselling Intervention = High Career Dream
Sampling and Respondent Validation
Trinity College
Dublin
Impact of Career
Counselling?
•
Qualitative
•
Recorded career counselling
intervention
•
Recorded and transcribed 8 semi
structured interviews
immediately after intervention
and two weeks later
•
“respondent validation”
Densombe (2008)
2 participants
worked with
Orlaith
Donegal Adult
Learner
Guidance Centre
2 participants
worked with
Alan
4 participants
worked with
Alan
Participants commented on transcripts
Participants evaluated my initial interpretation
Participants evaluated the group interpretation
Alan Richardson evaluated the group findings
R.Q.1. Evaluation Framework
Hodkinson’s
Self
knowledge
Careership
Theory
Super’s
Life
Span
Theory
Krumboltz’s
Evaluation
Framework
Learning
Theory of
Career Choice
& Counselling
Field
Position
Evaluation
Framework
Theorists
Themes
Beliefs
Motivation
Killeen
Bimrose
& Barnes
Horizons
for
Action
Refer to hand out Evaluation Framework used in research (18 questions)
R.Q.1. Recommended Evaluation Framework.
Informed by five career theorists.
Self- awareness (Theorists: Bimrose et al, Killeen, Super and Krumboltz)
Q. 1. How has this meeting influenced your understanding of what is important to you? In terms of your
interests, values, abilities, motivators, strengths
Position (Theorists: Hodkinson and Super)
Q. 2. Were your expectations met? Yes/ no. Please elaborate.
Q. 3. Can you describe where you are currently in your career?
Beliefs-Disposition (Theorists: Krumboltz, Hodkinson, Killeen and Bimrose)
Q. 4. How has your relationship to your beliefs (possibilities/ limitations/ fears/ indecision) changed as a
result of the meeting?
Q. 5. How has your self-confidence been affected?
Horizons for Action (Theorists: Hodkinson and Krumboltz)
Q. 6. What new perspectives did you gain?
Q. 7. What has changed (for you) since the guidance meeting? [evaluating days or weeks later]
Motivation (Theorists: Krumboltz, Killeen, Hodkinson)
Q.7. How has this meeting affected your motivation? [evaluating immediately after]
Field (Theorists: Hodkinson, Killeen, Bimrose, Super)
Q. 8. As a result of this meeting how has your understanding of the job/ postgraduate market and your place in it, changed?
Q. 9. As a result of this meeting what skills and or knowledge do you have or need to develop to help you enter the work
place/ develop your career?
Q. 10. As a result of this meeting how accurate is your knowledge of the opportunities open to you?
Decoding language: Hodkinson’s Careership
Career Decision Making Theory (2009)
Position- different types of position, e.g. position
within social structures – class, gender, ethnicity.
Fields- social environments, e.g. an employment
context, which involve dynamic, complex interaction
between unequal forces, e.g. employers, education
providers, job seekers and government.
Disposition (or Beliefs)- a person’s “deeply held
and mainly tacit ways of viewing and understanding
the world that orientate us towards all aspects of
life’.
Horizons for Action- what we can see is limited by
the position we stand in but prevent us from seeing
that what lies beyond them. Horizons for action are
influenced by a person’s position, by the nature of
the field or fields within which they are positioned,
and the embodied dispositions of the person.
R.Q.2. Findings: Self knowledge
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“I should really focus on the emotional aspects (happiness and
satisfaction) of what I want to get out of this“
Jack, immediately after intervention
Engineering, penultimate year
Undecided to pursue engineering or industrial design
Findings: Position
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“It was more about looking at yourself and finding out who you
were. That was not what I was expecting from the meeting.”
Theo, 2 weeks later
PhD Engineering, final year
What is the career for me?
Findings: Beliefs 1/2
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“ There’s certain stuff that you love … you realise how important
they are … you can’t just cast them aside and think I’ll do what
other people expect you to do.”
Charlene, immediately after the intervention
BA Religions and Theology, graduate + 2years
Pursue drama?
Findings: Beliefs 2/2
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“I think I will be less harsh on myself, less cynical … people
have always told me to stop being so negative, to stop being so
down on myself.”
Fiona, immediately after the intervention
Business Economics and Social Studies, Final year
How to pursue creative work especially fashion journalism?
Findings: Horizons for Action 1/2
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“I applied for a job the next week … normally I … think ‘ah no, I don’t
have the experience for that there’ and not go for it.”
Jane, 2 weeks later
BA Childcare, Graduate +2 years
Government sponsored internship
Next steps?
Findings: Horizons for Action 2/2
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“I want to be successful and I want to succeed … I’m not just looking
for a job; I’m looking for a career”
Theo, 2 weeks later
PhD Engineering, final year
What is the career for me?
Research Findings: Motivation
High Career Dream made a significant impact
“… more motivated; I want to look into things. Feeling good … about
it, not something you have to do; it might be fun learning about
careers.”
Ute, 2 weeks later
Philosophy & Classical Civilisation, penultimate year
What career?
Research Findings- Field
High Career Dream made a less significant impact
“More accurate than before our meeting definitely. But … there’s
probably stuff there that I haven’t looked into yet.”
Niamh, 2 weeks later
BA Drama and Theatre Studies, Graduate + 7years
Mphil International Peace Studies, Graduate + 1year
What job can I do to earn money?
The High Career Dream: An overwhelmingly
positive impact
Three themes emerged that transcended multiple
themes
– . . Facilitating participants:
1. Taking responsibility for themselves
2. Becoming more self-reliant
3. Self-directing their own career path
High Career Dream Process: Findings
Visual
Me/ World
5060mins
Participant
Adviser
Discomfort
Rapport
R.Q.3 Research Recommendations for HE Careers
Services
Balance
Use it!
Use the tool
Apply it
High
Career
Dream
Communicate
with Senior
Management
Apply theory
Evaluation
High Career Dream & MA Research
Review of
Research
Background
High
Career
Dream
Influences
Explain
Model
Impact of a
career
counselling
model and
implications
for HE
Findings of
Research
Recommendations
for CAS
References
Ali, L. and Graham, B. (1996). The Counselling Approach to Careers Guidance. London: Routledge.
Bimrose, J. and Barnes, S.A. (2008) Adult Career Progression and Advancement: A Five Year Study of the Effectiveness of
Guidance, Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick.
Denscombe, M. (2008) The Good Research Guide: for small-scale social research projects, 3rd edn., Maidenhead: Open
University Press.
Hodkinson, P. (2009) Understanding career decision-making and progression: careership revisited, National Institute for
Careers Education and Counselling Journal, 21: 4–16.
Killeen, J. (1996) The learning and economic outcomes of guidance, in A.G. Watts, B. Law, J. Killeen, J.M. Kidd and R.
Hawthorn Rethinking Careers Education and Guidance: Theory, Policy and Practice, London: Routledge, 72–94.
Mindell, A. (1985) River's Way: The Process Science of the Dreambody; Information and channels in dream and bodywork,
psychology and physics, Taoism and alchemy, London: Routledge and Kegan.
Mitchell, L.K., and Krumboltz, J.D. (1996) Krumboltz’s learning theory of career choice and counseling, in D. Brown, L.
Brooks and Associates (eds.) Career Choice and Development, 3rd edn., San Francisco, USA: Jossey-Bass, 233–280.
Perls, F. (1969) Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, Moab, UT, USA: Real People Press.
Super, D.E., Savickas, M.L. and Super, D.L. (1996) The life-span, life-space approach to careers, in D. Brown and L. Brooks
(eds.) Career Choice and Development, 3rd edn., San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass, 121–178.
Richardson, Alan (2009) Training session with AHECS, Dublin
Comments
Questions
and Discussion
I welcome your views please connect:
email: orlaith.tunney@tcd.ie
Telephone: +353.1.8963764
LinkedIn: ie.linkedin.com/in/orlaithtunney/