Career construction with a gay client: a case study

Abstract

This article reports on the value of career construction counselling (CCC) with a gay person. The participant was selected purposively, with the selection criteria calling for a mid-career woman who had sought career counselling. The intervention involved administration of the Career Construction Interview (CCI) and the creation of a life portrait. A case study design (working with a participant in a one-on-one research setting and incorporating a qualitative, interpretive paradigm) was implemented. The CCI (including the three early recollections technique) was administered to gather qualitative data, and Savickas' eight-step strategy was followed to complete the participant's life portrait. After the intervention, the participant demonstrated an enhanced sense of self as well as an increased sense of personal authorship. CCC can thus meet the career counselling needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, and, possibly, also of members of other minority groups.