A Conversation With Donald H. Blocher

Donald H. Blocher has been a major contributor and advocate in the field of counseling psychology for more than 30 years. He has written six books, more than 60 book chapters and journal articles, and has had several publications translated into international journals. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from Harvard University, and a Fulbright Lecturer in the United Kingdom. Donald Blocher was interviewed on the occasion of his retirement after a distinguished career. In this conversation he discusses a wide range of provocative ideas as he looks back at his life as a developmental psychologist.     

David V. Tiedeman: Statistician,Scholar, and Sage

David V. Tiedeman, a major contributor to vocational guidance, was interviewed about influences on his initial career choice, significant others, his major contributions, and perspectives on his career. Also interviewed was Anna Miller-Tiedeman, his collaborator and wife.     

Career construction counseling: A thematic analysis of outcomes for four clients

Thematic analysis was used in this study of career construction counseling with four diverse, purposively-selected participants. After the intervention, the participants who sought and received career construction counseling were interviewed to determine their experience of the intervention. The results showed the value of career construction counseling in bringing about change in the participants' career-life stories.     

Dimensions of counseling for career development

Counseling practice has not reflected current thinking about career development and career process. Four types of career counseling are described: Type 1, a traditional vocational counseling approach which helps the client with a specific decision; Type 2, which is concerned with teaching decision-making skills; Type 3, which views career development as a process rather than an end-point toward which all decisions lead; and Type 4, which focuses on creating in the individual the ability to utilize his own strengths to achieve self-determined objectives and to influence the nature of future opportunities.     

George Gazda: Steps Ahead of the Group

Dr. George Gazda has been and remains a pioneer in the counseling profession. During the past several decades, he has been instrumental in several movements and has influenced the direction of the field of counseling. His leadership in bringing group counseling to the respected status it holds today is a remarkable feat. The development of the comprehensive and practical “Life Skills Model” has influenced the way many counselors work with clients. In this brief interview, he talks of the significant people in his professional development, and some of the many people he has touched speak to his caring and commitment to his chosen profession. This short synopsis of Dr. Gazda's career hardly does justice to his many contributions. He is indeed a remarkable professional and person. The counseling profession, in may ways, owes him considerable credit for where we are today and for where we may strive in the future. His dreams provide a true vision for the rest of us.     

Disclosure of Trauma and Psychosomatic Health: An Interview With James W. Pennebaker

This interview with James W. Pennebaker explores the often serendipitous career development of his interest in the relationship between the disclosure or inhibition of traumatic experience and psychosomatic illness. His current research has moved beyond psychosomatic illness to address other aspects of physical and mental health. The importance of Pennebaker's research is reflected in the many books and articles he has written, the continuing grants he has procured, and the awards he has won. His research findings yield several important implications for the counseling process and for counseling professionals themselves.     

The Past,Present, and Future of Student Affairs: A Professional Profile of Theodore K. Miller

Theodore K. Miller began his career in 1957 as the counselor for men at the University of Florida and then worked as a counseling psychologist at the State University of New York at Buffalo starting in 1962. He left there 5 years later to start a student personnel program at The University of Georgia. During his 30 years at Georgia, Miller established a nationally recognized graduate professional preparation program and became one of the most prominent figures in the field of college student development. This profile focuses on the professional influences in his life and on his role in developing quality assurance measures for counseling and human development programs and for student affairs functional areas.     

Chuck Warnath: Visionary Gadfly of Professional Counseling

Charles F. “Chuck” Warnath, professor emeritus and former university counseling center director, was interviewed about his personal life, early training with Donald Super, counseling center experiences, convictions about professional counseling, dedication to issues of equality, and current struggles with the progressive effects of retinitis pigmentosa.     

Career counseling: applying the systems theory framework of career development

In recent years, career development and career counseling have increasingly been informed by concepts emanating from the constructivist worldview. For example, the Systems Theory Framework (STF; M. McMahon, 2002; M. McMahon & W. Patton, 1995; W. Patton & M. McMahon, 1997, 1999) of career development has been proposed as a metatheoretical account of career development. Furthermore, its theoretical constructs may be applied to career counseling. Thus, the STF provides a theoretical and practical consistency to career counseling and addresses concerns about a gulf between career theory and practice. This article discusses the practical application of the STF of career development as a guide to career counseling.     

Joy, 20 Years Later: A Conversation With Will Schutz

Will C. Schutz, an encounter groups pioneer, was interviewed about his personal life, the turning points of his life that led to his involvement in group work, his experiences before, at, and after Esalen, and his views on the field of counseling.     

Thriving,burnout, and coping strategies of early and later career counseling center psychologists in the United States

We interviewed seven early career psychologists (ECPs) and seven later career psychologists (LCPs) employed at university counseling centers in the United States about their experiences with thriving, burnout, and coping. We analyzed the data using Consensual Qualitative Research. Typical factors that contributed to thriving included recognition for achievement and the climate of counseling center and campus, although the latter was more important for ECPs than LCPs. Typical factors that contributed to burnout included challenges with tasks and responsibilities and challenges related to professional relationships. Finally, interpersonal support (general), self-care, cognitive strategies, and behavioral strategies (typical) were coping strategies used by both ECPs and LCPs, but only ECPs identified using personal therapy. Implications for counseling centers and for research are presented.     

Occupational Wellness: The Integration of Career Identity and Personal Identity

Historically, career and vocational counseling have served as cornerstones to the counseling profession. Still, there are several survey studies that indicate that interest in career counseling among counseling professionals has eroded. Conversely, there has been an overwhelming response from counselors to the idea of wellness. The intent of this article is to encourage practicing counselors and researchers to consider career development as a key ingredient in the conceptualization of wellness. Furthermore, it is imperative that we begin to assist clients in achieving this aspect of occupational wellness through the integration of career identity and personal identity.     

Carl McDaniels: A Life of Transitions

Carl McDaniels has made contributions to professional counseling for nearly 40 years. He is well known for practical applications of career development theory such as the Virginia Tech Employee Career Development Program and the Virginia Career Information Delivery System, and for his theoretical formula “Career = Work + Leisure.” In this interview, he reflects on transitions in his career as a counselor and a counselor educator.     

The Individual Career Counseling Needs and Experiences of Female Survivors of Partner Violence

The impact of partner violence on women's employment and career development is profound. Career counselors may contribute substantially to these women's rehabilitation. This study examined employment and career counseling needs, barriers experienced, and counseling satisfaction of female survivors of partner violence (N = 71). The women participated in community‐ and research‐based individual career counseling services designed to promote their short‐ and long‐term career development. The authors conducted correlational, t‐test, and logistic regression analyses and found that barriers differed by race/ethnicity, age, number of children, and career service needs. Results provide important information about survivors' career counseling service access and needs.     

COUNSELING IN INDUSTRY: A SELECTED REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

This paper reviews the literature on counseling in business and industry. It summarizes what is known about (a) the extent to which personal and career counseling services exist within industry and (b) the effectiveness of various counseling programs in dealing with specific employee problems or concerns. The review is divided into three major sections. The first describes various programs and research involving counseling for personal problems. This is followed by a summary of efforts by industry to provide various forms of career counseling and guidance. Finally, the last section offers several conclusions about the current state of counseling in industry and discusses some implications for future research and evaluation such as the need for more clarity in what is typically referred to as counseling, increased specification of objectives and outcome criteria, comparison of different types of counseling approaches, a broader examination of the extensiveness of counseling in industry, and a higher standard for practitioner-oriented magazines which publish articles about counseling in industry.     

Pioneers of Multicultural Counseling: A Conversation With Clemmont E. Vontress

This article presents an interview conducted with Dr. Clemmont E. Vontress, a pioneering scholar in the field of multicultural counseling. In this interview. Dr. Vontress reflects on his long and distinguished career and the evolution of multicultural counseling as professional discipline.     

Integrating motivational interviewing in career counseling: A case study

Motivational interviewing (MI) is receiving increasing attention in the field of career counseling. However, none of the previous studies have concretely presented how this method could and why it should be integrated in career counseling. Through the use of a single case study design, this paper illustrates how a brief MI (BMI) intervention can be integrated into career counseling interventions to help resolve career dilemmas. An analysis of the interactions between the client and his counselor using the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code 2.1 illustrates why this method can be useful for career counseling. Immediate and long-term effects of the global career counseling intervention on the client's career decision-making difficulties, as well as the specific impacts of the BMI intervention, are assessed. This case study shows that the BMI approach can be integrated in a career counseling intervention to help career counseling clients overcome career dilemmas and increase their readiness to make career choices.     

Beatrice A. Wright: Broad Lens,Sharp Focus

Beatrice A. Wright, a prominent rehabilitation psychologist, was interviewed about various aspects of her personal life, scholarly contributions, professional development, and the field of rehabilitation psychology and counseling in general.     

Exploring the Influence of Culture on Career Through the Career‐in‐Culture Interview

This study sought to understand how culture in general affects career development. Using an adapted version of the Career‐in‐Culture Interview (Ponterotto, Rivera, & Sueyoshi, 2000 ), the authors interviewed 14 adults from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Through a qualitative analysis of the interviews, themes were identified based on 4 of the interview questions and were reported based on occupations the participants were aware of while growing up, their cultural and ethnic backgrounds, religious/spiritual backgrounds, and family influence. These themes promote a developmental consideration of career‐related issues in counseling. The findings can help counselors better work with clients by focusing not just on the individual but also on cultural influences on career development.     

Have Hexagon Will Travel: An Interview With John Holland

John Holland is one of the major theorists, living or dead, in the area of career development/choice. He is the author of two books, more than 150 articles, and two inventories, one the popular Self-Directed Search. During the interview he seemed torn between his desire to be frank, honest, and outspoken, and his fear that should he be, the sex bias controversy that consumed so much of his time several years ago would be stirred up again. When he was first approached with the request for an interview, he declined because he felt that other individuals have made greater contributions than he. In this interview, Holland shares his views on how the SDS was developed, on the strengths and weaknesses of his theory, on how to provide vocational counseling efficiently, and outlines his hopes for the future.