CAREER COUNSELLING BASED ON CHOICE THEORY Mirjana Zećirević Bled, 22-23 May, 2012

1. CAREER COUNSELLING BASED ON CHOICE THEORY Mirjana Zećirević Bled, 22-23 May, 2012 CROSS BORDER SEMINAR 2012 Career Management Skills

2. Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje Reasons for careercounseling • Transitional periods • Stress related work issues • Loss of job • or all of the above

3. The Career Counseling Process Planning Evaluation Incorporates several stages

4. Why Do We Need Theories? • Theories help explain human behavior • Theories guide us in what we do with clients • Theories help understand the factors in the process of decision making • Theories help us make hypothesisabout a client’s future behavior

5. Career BehaviorTheories: • Trait and Factor Theories: Stress an individual’s need to develop his or her “traits”(interests, values, skills) as well as select environments that compliment those traits - Holland • Developmental Theories: Share the assumption that factors related to career choice are also related to stages of personal and psychological development– Donald Super • Learning Theories: Describe the learning processes by which an individual gains self-efficacy and what effect this has on the career decision-making process - Krumboltz • Socioeconomic theories: Focus on socioeconomic status and the influence of sociological and economic factors on occupational choice – Dual labour market theory • Social - Cognitive theories: Focus more on the personal constructions people place on events related to career and decisions making – Lent, Brown, Hacket: social cognitive career theory

6. William Glasser’s Choice Theory is used in different settings: • In counseling (individual and group) – Reality Therapy • In schools – Glasser’s Quality Schools • Organisations/companies – Lead management

7. The client and the counselor explore the client’s wants and needs. • Focus on conscious, planned behavior, on responsibility and choice. • Trustful relationship between a client and a counseloriscrucial • Helps clients look at the consequences of their own actions. Choice Theory /Reality Therapy in career counseling

8. Choice Theory /Reality Therapy in career counseling Instead of seeking to change behavior, the counselor works on changing awareness of responsibility. Once responsibility is acknowledged by the client, it is then possible to work on behavior change The locus of the decision is placed on the client The only person you can control is yourself Behavior = an attempt to get what we want

9. Choice Theory • Each indvidual is unique, has its own quality world (what they want to achieve) • People change their quality world over time, as well as their possiblities • People go through life fulfilling their needs their wishes; making choices and decisions that take into account past experience and their current perception on themselves Comparison to ChoiceTheory Donald Super’s Life-Span Theory of Career Development People have different abilities, interests and values and are qualified for different occupations People change over time and with experience and so too do their abilities, interests and values People go through life stageswhereby they experience growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance and decline in their career life.

10. Choice Theory • Make self-assessment (explore needs and wishes) • Understand circumstances/ reality • Make best possible choice at the current circumstances based on self-assessment Frank Parson’s model A person should: • Understand one’s self • Understand job requirements • Choose a career that is based upon knowledge and logic. Comparison to Choice Theory

11. Choice Theory • People make choices upon their assessed needs, wishes and goals, taking into consideration the circumstances. • People make best possible choices in order to achieve satisfaction Comparison to Choice Theory Holland’s Theory Vocational goals are related to a person’s identity People are not as happy with their career if they have not chosen one that is congruent with their personality type A match between personality type, and the environment which supports that type, leads to greater career satisfaction

12. Social Cognitive Theories • The interaction between people and environment is dynamic and ever changing • More emphasis is placed on self-regulatory cognitions, including self-efficacy • Career related behavior is influenced by a person’s behavior in general, beliefs about self-efficacy, outcomes and goals, and genetically determined characteristics. • People’s interests lie in their belief that they can do these things well. Choice Theory • From the environment we get information; each individual decide upon current perception which is changing over time • Each person is responsible for his/her own choices. People have direct control over their activities and thoughts • People can change their thoughts (the way how they see things) and their activities (what they do). • People can choose to see themselves as people who can do things well. Comparison to Choice Theory

13. Cognitive Aspects of Career counselling based on Choice Theory The assessments : • Explore his/herwantsand how they relate to their needs; • Explore his/her behavior - what they are doingand thinkingto meet those needs; • Evaluate behavior in relationship to those needs /Does it help? • Assess other possible choices • Plan to change behavior to more effectively meet needs

14. Exercize • You have a choice in everything that you do and feel atyour work /life? • You are only responsible for your own behaviour? • You can’t make anybody feel or do anything? • Nobody can make you feel or do anything?

15. Exercize In pairs or small groups make a list of what you feel individuals/people need (in their career, life..) Make another list of what your wants and expectations are/were. Discuss as a group

16. In pairs, have a role play • Person A can play the therapist • Person B can play him/herself • Person B needs to think about something that she/he wants, that he/she has not got yet. • Person A can use the ways to help the client discover what that want is, what they are doing now to get it, to evaluate behavior, assess the possible choices and make plan... Exercize

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