La résilience dans les situations de licenciement économique : une étude de cas mobilisant les dialogues de conseil en life design

Professional breakdowns are numerous in today's world of work and can lead to psychological distress, precariousness and loss of self-esteem. Resilience gathers a set of psychological attitudes and processes that allow individuals to struggle in order to find life meaning and recover self-confidence after a traumatic event. This article proposes in a first part, a review of the literature on the concept of resilience in connection with career breakdowns and more particularly with layoffs. The second part is a case study that aims to highlight the role and interest of Life Design Counseling Dialogues (LDCDs) (Guichard, 2004) as a career counseling method supporting the implementation of psychological processes that contribute to resilience after a layoff. As part of a career counseling intervention, LDCDs were implemented in a case study. They were transcribed and analyzed using the methodology of innovative moments (Gonçalves et al., 2009). The analysis reveals an increase in the number of innovative moments showing a change in the person's life and it confirms the emergence of resilience processes during DCLDs. These results are discussed in relation to models of resilience and with the role of counselors and psychologists who accompany individuals who have met a layoff.     

Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the 21st century

At the beginning of the 21st century, a new social arrangement of work poses a series of questions and challenges to scholars who aim to help people develop their working lives. Given the globalization of career counseling, we decided to address these issues and then to formulate potentially innovative responses in an international forum. We used this approach to avoid the difficulties of creating models and methods in one country and then trying to export them to other countries where they would be adapted for use. This article presents the initial outcome of this collaboration, a counseling model and methods. The life-designing model for career intervention endorses five presuppositions about people and their work lives: contextual possibilities, dynamic processes, non-linear progression, multiple perspectives, and personal patterns. Thinking from these five presuppositions, we have crafted a contextualized model based on the epistemology of social constructionism, particularly recognizing that an individual’s knowledge and identity are the product of social interaction and that meaning is co-constructed through discourse. The life-design framework for counseling implements the theories of self-constructing [Guichard, J. (2005). Life-long self-construction. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 5, 111–124] and career construction [Savickas, M. L. (2005). The theory and practice of career construction. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counselling: putting theory and research to work (pp. 42–70). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley] that describe vocational behavior and its development. Thus, the framework is structured to be life-long, holistic, contextual, and preventive.     

The role of dialogic processes in designing career expectations

This article examines the role played by dialogic processes in the designing or redesigning of future expectations during a career guidance intervention. It discusses a specific method (“Giving instruction to a double”) developed and used during career counseling sessions with two recent doctoral graduates. It intends both to help them outline or specify a career expectation and to create a means to observe the involved dialogic processes. This method was designed within the framework of the “making oneself self” model (Guichard, 2004, 2005, 2009). Dialogic processes were analyzed by referring to (a) this model's conceptualization of individual reflexivity, (b) the Benveniste general linguistic theory, and (c) the concept of “acts of thought”, as recently developed from the Peirce semiotic theory. It appeared that each of these two graduates favored different dialogic processes and acts of thought and evolved accordingly. One of them re-read her whole life and created a new career expectation. The other worked on his previous one to move it from the past university laboratory where he wrote his thesis to a future expected job in a specific private company.     

Narrative career counseling: My career story and pictorial narratives

The present article addresses the questions of what changes during narrative-informed career interventions and what prompts client reflection. We interrogated two case studies that both used the interventions of Pictorial Narratives (Taylor & Santoro, 2016) and My Career Story (Savickas & Hartung, 2012). Being heard and validated were elements that prompted client change through increased reflexivity and agency. And, reflexivity and agency were fostered by encouraging clients to consider the contrast between problem and preferred pictorials and to connect the perspective from early recollections to possibilities in a reconstructed career narrative. This pair of contrasting symbols prompted deep sense-making and new realizations that primed purposeful actions in the real world to reconstruct career and life. In addition to addressing the questions posed by the organizers, this article describes how the Pictorial Narrative methods, when used in career counseling, can been integrated with the My Career Story workbook to enhance client reflection and agency. The two case examples illustrate this unique integration of constructionist career counseling interventions.     

Longitudinal effects of two individual career counseling interventions on clients’ career decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic over a 1-year follow-up

This study assessed the effects of two individual career counseling interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic over a 1-year follow-up. Participants (n = 71) engaged either in four individual humanistic–psychodynamic (during winter 2021) or cognitive career counseling (during winter 2022) sessions at a university counseling clinic. Latent growth models indicated that clients experienced a significant reduction in their career decision difficulties and psychological distress and a significant increase in their life satisfaction over sessions and the 12 months following. Clients who received cognitive career counseling sessions experienced larger effects. Results highlight the utility of individual career counseling in times of crisis.     

Initial Review of the Psychometric Properties of a Computerised Career Preference Test for Career Guidance Assessment

Psychometric proprties of the Career Preference Computerised Adaptive Test (CPCAT) (De Beer & Marais, 2010; De Beer, Marais, Maree, & Skrzypczak, 2008) are reported. Participants were high school students (n=343; males=279, females=164)at Grade 9 and Grade 11 level from a South African school district. Reliability and construct validity indices suggest the CPCAT could be of utility in the career counseling of high school students.     

Increasing nontraditional career choices in women: Relation of attitudes toward women and responses to a career intervention

This study examined whether 80 college women, grouped according to their scores on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS; J. T. Spence, R. Helmreich, & J. Stapp 1973 Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 2, 219–220), were differentially affected by a videotape career intervention. The videotape was entitled “Women: Choices and Changes,” and it focused on career development, broadly defined. It was developed as part of Project Born Free. A variety of outcome measures were used, including a brief measure of career decidedness, a measure of the traditionality of the women's own career choices and of the career choices they selected for their hypothetical daughters. In addition, two measures of self-efficacy were used, the Vocational Self-Efficacy Scale (Hackett & Betz 1981) and the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale (K. M. Taylor & N. E. Betz 1983 Journal of Vocational Behavior, 22, 63–81). The results indicated that AWS scores were related to the traditionality of the careers chosen for the subjects' hypothetical daughters and to self-efficacy. Increases were found for the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale and on career decidedness. Careers chosen by the women for themselves and for their daughters were more non-traditional after the videotape intervention. These results are discussed and their implications for career counseling and future research are examined.     

Client Perceptions of and Preferences for University-Based Career Services

One hundred thirty-three students who were actively seeking career services reported on their perceptions of the similarity among, and their preferences for, 17 different types of career assistance by way of a paired comparison task. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and multidimensional preference modeling procedures were used to map these data into spatial representations. Ethnicity, international/domestic student status, tendency to foreclose (TTFS; Blustein, Ellis, & Devenis, 1989), and previous experience with an interest inventory each accounted for differences in perceptions. All participants preferred career assistance involving direct interaction with employed individuals, but class level, occupational status, previous participation in a career development class, and previous experience with career counseling accounted for differences in preferences.     

The career construction interview and literary analysis

The aim of this study was to examine what changes occurred in a career construction interview (CCI), what elements contributed to these changes and how reflexivity was fostered. Two clients and two counselors participated in interpersonal process recall (IPR) interviews (Larsen, Flesaker, & Stege, 2008) to review CCI interviews they had previously participated in. The CCI was reported based on the construction and reconstruction that took place during the interview. The IPR interviews were analyzed qualitatively by means of the grounded theory method. Then the two CCI's were submitted to literary analysis based on Greimas's narrative semiotics (Vilhjálmsdóttir & Tulinius, 2009) in order to determine whether and in what way the counselor missed something during the interview. The article concludes that the CCI is very effective but could be made even more so if the counselors received more training in literary analysis, more specifically narrative semiotics.     

Using Qualitative Appraisal Strategies in Career Counseling

This article examines the role of qualitative career assessment strategies in career counseling. Their use, especially in enlivening the career counseling process, is emphasized. Four specific procedures—life career assessment, life line, genogram, and Super's (Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996) Life Career Rainbow—are discussed.     

Preparing young veterans for civilian life: The effects of a workshop on career decision-making difficulties and self-efficacy

The current study mapped the career decision-making difficulties and career decision self-efficacy of 1315 young veterans who participated in a 5-day workshop aimed at facilitating their transition to civilian life. A pre- and post-test comparison showed that participation in the workshop reduced (d = 0.57) the participants' career decision-making difficulties (measured by the CDDQ; Gati, Krausz, & Osipow, 1996) and increased (d = 0.77) their career decision self-efficacy (measured by the CDSE; Taylor & Betz, 1983). A more advanced decision status, as reflected in the participants' Range of Considered Alternatives ( Saka & Gati, 2007), was negatively associated with participants' career decision-making difficulties, and positively associated with career decision self-efficacy. However, a more advanced decision status and the perceived effectiveness of the workshop were not associated with the decrease in difficulties and the increase in self-efficacy that resulted from participating in the workshop. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Le « sens de la vie » comme paradigme pour le conseil en orientation

Choosing a career requires the fundamental question of life meaning. If this issue was not treated in the career counseling research, his interest was reaffirmed by the development of new trends around life designing and positive psychology. This article discusses the various components (philosophical, theoretical and empirical psychology) of work on life meaning. It aims to demonstrate the usefulness and the unity of the concept for vocational guidance and model the theoretical principles. Finally, new directions are outlined in the design of new methods of guidance and researches.     

Preparing young veterans for civilian life: The effects of a workshop on career decision-making difficulties and self-efficacy

The current study mapped the career decision-making difficulties and career decision self-efficacy of 1315 young veterans who participated in a 5-day workshop aimed at facilitating their transition to civilian life. A pre- and post-test comparison showed that participation in the workshop reduced (d = 0.57) the participants' career decision-making difficulties (measured by the CDDQ; Gati, Krausz, & Osipow, 1996) and increased (d = 0.77) their career decision self-efficacy (measured by the CDSE; Taylor & Betz, 1983). A more advanced decision status, as reflected in the participants' Range of Considered Alternatives (Saka & Gati, 2007), was negatively associated with participants' career decision-making difficulties, and positively associated with career decision self-efficacy. However, a more advanced decision status and the perceived effectiveness of the workshop were not associated with the decrease in difficulties and the increase in self-efficacy that resulted from participating in the workshop. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

A Metaperspective for Counseling Practice: A Response to the Challenge of Contextualism

This article discusses the challenge of contextualism to developmental theory as articulated by Lewis (1997), as well as the challenge of current changes in life contexts for developmentally oriented counseling practice. Counseling practice refers to activities of psychologists and counselors in relation to theory, research, and intervention, and in relation to both career and psychotherapy domains of practice. It is hoped that a consideration of both career and psychotherapy practice will contribute to dialogue and integration across these domains. In the second part of the paper, a metaperspective for counseling practice, conceived as a response to this challenge, is presented. It consists of a conception of life contexts inclusive of work and relationships across both public and private domains of life and posits a generic developmental process goal of effective functioning as relevant to both career and psychotherapy domains of counseling practice.     

A Relational Approach to Career Counseling: Theoretical Integration and Practical Application

This article reviews the current status of career theory in practice and presents a theoretical overview of relational theory and its logical extension to the career domain. Despite the emergence of literature regarding the interconnectedness of career progress and the quality of relationships in one's life (e.g., D. L. Blustein, 2001; D. L. Blustein, M. S. Prezioso, & D. E. P. Schultheiss, 1995; D. E. P. Schultheiss, H. M. Kress, A. J. Manzi, & J. M. Glasscock, 2001), counseling practice is limited by the absence of a meaningful approach to intervene in clients' relational and career worlds. The relational career counseling approach moves counseling toward a contextually based relational perspective to facilitating career progress. This approach is illustrated with a case example.     

Narrative innovation in life design counseling: The case of Ryan

The main aim of this research is to study the patterns of narrative change in a case of life design counseling (LDC). The innovative moments coding system (IMCS) was used to conduct an intensive analysis of the career counseling sessions. This coding system is grounded in a narrative conception of the self, and suggests that narrative change results from the elaboration and development of narrative exceptions to a client's core problematic self-narrative. The results supports the adequacy of the IMCS to the study of change in career counseling and reveal that the intervention promotes a pattern of change characterized by three types of innovative moments: action, reflection, and protest. The results are discussed taking into account their implications for career counseling theory, research and practice.     

infusing systems thinking into career counseling

This study examined the role of career counselors in infusing systems thinking into occupational advising. The authors conducted a qualitative review and analysis of selected literature on systems thinking and analyzed trends for adaptation to career counseling practice. This analysis suggests that career counselors need to infuse systems approaches into professional practice, for example, use of systems language that assists the client in exploring career plans. The authors also identified various new right‐brain directed thinking approaches (Pink, 2006; Shutt, 2008) for use in career counseling sessions. Results and implications are discussed.     

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.     

Emotion: An Absent Presence in Career Theory

This article couples a review of some of the recent UK literature on careers and career interventions with arguments for greater attention to be given to the role of emotion in career development. In the United Kingdom, changes in the employment context have led career theory to become more concerned with understanding adult work-role transitions, and somewhat less emphasis is now given to initial occupational entry. Accordingly, the aims of career interventions have been extended to promote “career management” skills as well as career decision-making skills. It is argued that ideas from the literature on emotion can be employed to elaborate current notions of career management to take more account of the feelings and emotions underlying career transitions. In particular, examining sequences of cognition, affect, and behavior seems to be a promising way forward in further understanding changes to individuals' psychological contracts with their employing organizations. The literature on emotion generally and on emotional labor also has potential in understanding the dynamics of career counseling and in developing narrative approaches to counseling. An examination of the provision of career interventions in organizations shows how attending to the emotional dimensions of practice highlights some of the challenging political issues inherent in this context.     

Applying Chaos Theory to Careers: Attraction and attractors

This article presents the Chaos Theory of Careers with particular reference to the concepts of “attraction” and “attractors”. Attractors are defined in terms of characteristic trajectories, feedback mechanisms, end states, ordered boundedness, reality visions and equilibrium and fluctuation. The identified types of attractors (point, pendulum, torus and strange) and their relevance to career development are described. The attractor concept is then applied to major barriers in career development and life transition by a consideration of closed and open systems thinking. It is contended that ultimately the context of human experience is an open system and that career development difficulties arise when closed systems thinking is used in an open systems reality. The practical counseling applications and counseling research evidence using attractors are briefly reviewed. The additional potential contributions of the Chaos Theory of Careers to the career development field are also outlined.