Life Design Counseling Research Articles

Managing career plateaus for mid‐career professionals: A process‐driven practice intervention using life‐design counseling

AbstractThis qualitative study explores the impact of life‐design counseling (LDC) on mid‐career professionals facing career plateauing. Seven mid‐career professionals underwent counselling sessions focused on overcoming barriers, evaluating career beliefs, and exploring options. Thematic analysis delves into their experiences, attitudes, and unresolved mid‐career dilemmas. Results indicate a shift from problem‐focused to solution‐based thinking. A two‐wave longitudinal study spanning 4 years confirms counseling's effectiveness in assisting individuals in making crucial career decisions, guiding positive career redirection amidst mid‐career plateauing. Our study specifically explored and analyzed the practical application of LDC intervention in the real‐world counseling scenario for overcoming career plateauing.

Performing artists’ career trajectory from a career construction perspective

ABSTRACT The field of performing arts presents an often unpredictable area for career development. Yet many people are drawn to this field as their chosen career trajectory. This study examines the life-career experiences that shape performing artists' trajectories within the framework of career construction theory. Using a qualitative multiple case study design, data was generated by Career Interest Profiles (CIP), career construction interviews (CCI), life-design counseling, and publicly available information. Thematic analysis uncovered two primary themes: the unique journey of performing artists in constructing their careers and the trajectory of career development, which highlights the factors influencing perceived success or failure and the essential 'survival skill set. The research offers theoretical insights and practical understanding of protean careers in demanding industries.

The effect of life-design-based counselling on high school learners from resource-constrained communities

In the study reported on here we explored the influence of life-design counselling intervention on high school learners with career indecision who hail from resource-poor contexts in rural South Africa. Purposeful sampling was used to select 17 participants from a resource-constrained area. A mixed-methods group-based intervention embedded in social constructionism was used to address the research questions. The qualitative outcomes for the 17 participants who constituted the intervention group are reported in this article. Data were generated using life-design-based intervention strategies and qualitative (postmodern) techniques. The intervention enhanced the facets of career adaptability of participants and improved their ability to make career decisions. The results show that participants benefited in planning their future and preparing to leave school. The value of the intervention described in this article can be confirmed in longitudinal research with larger samples of diverse participants and contexts as well as different design and assessment measures.

Effects of life design counselling on secondary students with career indecision in a resource-constrained community

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of life design counselling on secondary students with career indecision in a resource-constrained community. Non-probability, purposive sampling was utilized to select 91 secondary students from two schools (intervention group: N = 17, mean age: 18.00; SD = 1.06; comparison group: N = 74; mean age: 17.41; SD = 1.47). A mixed-methods intervention within a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was employed. Data was generated using the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and the Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire. The Mann-Whitney U test and related-samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were used to examine the outcomes. The participants did not exhibit a decrease in career indecision after the intervention but there was an increase in their curiosity. The intervention should be repeated in longitudinal research with larger samples of diverse participants and different designs and assessment measures.

A critical review of contemporary concepts of agency in the field of career guidance: life-design counselling and a systems theory framework

ABSTRACT The purpose of career guidance includes the support of citizens’ agency. In this article, we develop a framework for analysing the internal structure of agency within career guidance theory. This framework is inspired by relational sociology. The approach is used in an analysis of two contemporary career guidance theories: the systems theory framework (STF) and life-design counselling (LDC). The analyses show that the practical-evaluative dimension of agency in the two theories can be honed. This dimension of agency explores responses to current demands and contingencies. We conclude that the proposed approach was constructive in developing a deeper understanding of the conceptualisation of agency in career guidance theory.

Precariousness in the time of COVID-19: A turning point for reforming and reorganizing career counselling for vulnerable workers

The aim of the present article is to purpose new career counselling perspectives for vulnerable workers in the time of COVID-19 recession. We summarize perspectives on vulnerable workers following a recently advanced taxonomy on the work precarity framework characterized by three broad categories: precarity of work (i.e. fear and concern associated with the continuity of employment), precarity at work (i.e. psychosocial or physical safety at work, including discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions), and precarity from work (i.e. uncertainty and insecurity due to maintaining employment that does not satisfy the basic needs of workers). These three facets of precariousness are frequently experienced by vulnerable workers, and they are related to poorer mental and physical health. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exacerbated this trend for vulnerable workers. Thus, suggestions for mitigating the impact of the current crisis are presented. Our perspective deals with the psychology of sustainability, sustainable development, and the psychology of working theory. In this framework, vocational psychologists could reform and reorganize specific career counselling practices for vulnerable workers, promoting sustainable and decent work and inclusivity. This could be achieved by applying four key points. 1) Enrich career counselling interventions with the processes of self-identity, reflection, and reflexivity on what constitutes actual sustainability for vulnerable workers in terms of professional and personal development. 2) Promote the use of an evidence-based methodology in accordance with the accountability principles for the 21st century. 3) Advocate to enrich available services with positive primary preventive strength-based actions and interventions through timely differentiated career counselling strategies. 4) Encourage applied research and practices to find new ways to balance resources with evidence-based efficacy; for example, by using the power of the audience in group-based life design counselling.
 Keywords: career counselling, decent work, precarious work, psychology of sustainability, vulnerable workers.

Precariousness in the time of COVID-19: A turning point for reforming and reorganizing career counselling for vulnerable workers

The aim of the present article is to purpose new career counselling perspectives for vulnerable workers in the time of COVID-19 recession. We summarize perspectives on vulnerable workers following a recently advanced taxonomy on the work precarity framework characterized by three broad categories: precarity of work (i.e. fear and concern associated with the continuity of employment), precarity at work (i.e. psychosocial or physical safety at work, including discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions), and precarity from work (i.e. uncertainty and insecurity due to maintaining employment that does not satisfy the basic needs of workers). These three facets of precariousness are frequently experienced by vulnerable workers, and they are related to poorer mental and physical health. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exacerbated this trend for vulnerable workers. Thus, suggestions for mitigating the impact of the current crisis are presented. Our perspective deals with the psychology of sustainability, sustainable development, and the psychology of working theory. In this framework, vocational psychologists could reform and reorganize specific career counselling practices for vulnerable workers, promoting sustainable and decent work and inclusivity. This could be achieved by applying four key points. 1) Enrich career counselling interventions with the processes of self-identity, reflection, and reflexivity on what constitutes actual sustainability for vulnerable workers in terms of professional and personal development. 2) Promote the use of an evidence-based methodology in accordance with the accountability principles for the 21st century. 3) Advocate to enrich available services with positive primary preventive strength-based actions and interventions through timely differentiated career counselling strategies. 4) Encourage applied research and practices to find new ways to balance resources with evidence-based efficacy; for example, by using the power of the audience in group-based life design counselling.
 Keywords: career counselling, decent work, precarious work, psychology of sustainability, vulnerable workers.

Life Design Counseling: Theory, Methodology, Challenges, and Future Trends.

With the rapid development of society and the dramatic change of environment, previous career counseling focusing on personal choice has been difficult to meet individuals’ needs. It is very meaningful and valuable to introduce the ideology of Life Design Counseling (LDC). In this mini review, we introduce and analyze the theory and methodology of LDC. This review puts forward challenges in the field of LDC, including the lack of attention to clients from multiple backgrounds and professional counselors, the lack of diversified methods in the intervention process, and the lack of diversified research. The theoretical research, practical research, and the integration of theory and practice of LDC still need to be further concerned by researchers.

Life design counselling with a learner from a vocational school setting

This article reports on the usefulness of life design counselling for a learner from a vocational school (learner with intellectual impairment) when making post school decisions. Vocational and/or career research and reporting on people with intellectual disability/impairment, especially in the South African education context, is limited and infrequent. A purposively sampled, single, intervention case study was utilised. Data generation and analysis were approached simultaneously. The intervention uncovered career/vocational themes significant to the participant. These themes highlighted the meaning he attributed to work and his role and purpose in the world of work. The intervention also proved effective in cultivating his self- and career-efficacy and adaptability. Post intervention, the participant more confidently pursued his passion and was able to identify and utilise resources more definitely. Further, longitudinal research with groups of people with different kinds of impairment from vocational school settings is needed to further examine the value of the intervention described here.

The influence of group life-design-based counselling on learners’ academic self-construction: A collective case study

The purpose of this study was to explore how life-design-based counselling can influence young learners’ academic self-construction within a group context. The study involved a qualitative mode of enquiry with 12 participants. Life-design-based intervention strategies, together with various (postmodern) qualitative techniques, were used to gather data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and identify themes and sub-themes. The findings indicate that the participants exhibited enhanced academic self-construction in general after the intervention. More specifically, they displayed improved future aspirations as they made sense of their current learning. Future research could assess the feasibility and value of life-design counselling as early as the primary school years, as it seems to hold numerous benefits for young individuals that may positively influence their life-long career development.

Life themes of a slash worker in Hong Kong identified through a Career Construction Interview

ABSTRACT A new working model – having multiple careers during the same time period (slash careers) – is emerging despite the lack of official statistics. A slash worker in Hong Kong was interviewed based on Savickas’s Career Construction Interview procedure and three life themes were identified. The life themes are interconnected and provide meaningful life portraits of a slash worker. Life design counselling seems useful when it comes to helping a slash worker explore the enriching life themes of his/her life story.

Life-design counselling for survivors of family violence in resource-constrained areas

The purpose of this study was to explore and assess the feasibility of counselling based on life-design principles in enhancing the career resilience of children who are exposed to family violence. The research project involved a QUALITATIVE–quantitative mode of inquiry with 6 participants chosen based on certain characteristics. Life-design-related intervention strategies, together with various (postmodern) qualitative and quantitative techniques, were used to gather data, while data analysis was done using thematic content analysis. Quantitative data were collected from parents as well as the participants before and after the intervention. Certain themes, sub-themes and sub-sub-themes that all contributed to participants’ career resilience were identified. Following the intervention, findings obtained from a qualitative perspective indicated that the outcomes of the life-design-related counselling intervention were substantial. The findings showed that various narrative techniques could be used to enhance the career resilience of children exposed to family violence. Future research could assess the value of life-design counselling in enhancing the career resilience of survivors of family violence in diverse group contexts. A greater focus could be placed on the (unforeseen) external trauma that had an impact on participants’ ability to (re-)construct their career-life narratives to enhance their future selves and careers.

The Challenges of Life Design Counseling in the Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19).

OPINION article Front. Psychol., 14 July 2020Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings Volume 11 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01235

A Study of the Application of Life Design Counseling Through a Narrative Analysis for Employees in Career Transitions

A Study of the Application of Life Design Counseling Through a Narrative Analysis for Employees in Career Transitions

Creative Use of the Career Construction Interview

Designed as part of an individual career construction and life design counseling intervention, the Career Construction Interview (CCI) and My Career Story (MCS) workbook aid career counselors and other career service providers in helping clients construct, deconstruct, and reauthor their career stories. Recently, some career counselors have developed ways of using the CCI and the MCS in group settings. In this article, the author offers 3 additional ways to use the CCI and, thereby, add creativity to the career counseling process. These 3 ways include use of written exercises, career collages, and career portfolios. The article concludes with a call for career practitioners to continue to think creatively in using the CCI with clients.

Using career counselling with group life design principles to improve the employability of disadvantaged young adults

This article explores the effects of group life design counselling on unemployed young adults’ career adaptability skills. Purposive and criterion sampling were used to select 62 participants involved in a skills programme (mean age = 24.86 years, SD = 6.38 years). A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test comparison group-design, embedded in an intervention framework, was used to gather data. Intervention occurred in the quasi-experimental group. Paired t-tests were used to compare the difference between the pre- and post-test scores obtained on the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS). The scores on career concern and career control, as well as the total score on the CAAS, of the quasi-experimental group increased after the intervention. The results suggest that group career counselling interventions with life design principles enhanced the career adaptability in participants as a core element of employability. Future research should focus on more longitudinal research and tracing the long-term progress of participants to establish the value of the approach for diverse clients in (individual and) group contexts.

The vocational ID – connecting life design counselling and personality systems interaction theory

ABSTRACTWe introduce the Vocational ID that integrates linguistic and visual representations of a career counselling client’s self. Based upon findings from the Life Design paradigm [Savickas, M. L., Nota, L., Rossier, J., Dauwalder, J.-P., Duarte, M. E., Guichard, J., … van Vianen, A. E. M. (2009). Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the twenty-first century. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(3), 239–250. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2009.04.004] and the Personality Systems Interaction theory [Kuhl, J. (2000b). The volitional basis of personality systems interaction theory: Applications in learning and treatment contexts. International Journal of Educational Research, 33(7–8), 665–703. doi:10.1016/S0883-0355(00)00045-8], the Vocational ID facilitates working on clients' vocational identity. In this article, we present the theoretical framework, its practical applications, and a case study.

The effect of life-design counselling on the self-efficacy of a learner from an environment challenged by disadvantages

ABSTRACTThis article reports on the effect of life-design counselling on a purposefully selected learner from an environment challenged by disadvantages. An instrumental, single-case study approach was followed and collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data proceeded simultaneously. Intervention comprised assessment and dialogues and investigated the influence of life design counselling on the contextual experiences of the participant. We focused on the four dimensions of career adaptability and on the meaning of career in the future life of the participant. The intervention enabled the participant to pursue a dream, to set goals, and to (re-)establish his career-life identity; rekindled his hope; and enhanced his self-efficacy. After the intervention, he felt more positive, less anxious, and more ready to look at the positive side of his life. Longitudinal research and quantitative studies are needed to confirm the value of the intervention described here.

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.

Dual-career couple counselling: An elaboration of life-design paradigm

Life-design counselling discourse originator, Mark Savickas, calls for its expansion from an individual intervention to encompass interpersonal and intimate relationships. In this article, a fictitious foreign-service couple – configured from the author’s recent case files for authenticity – illustrates use of a modified Career Construction Interview in life-design counselling for resolution of life–career conundrums commonly experienced by dual-career couples. Practical models and seminal resources are identified for those unfamiliar with the dual-career couple construct or inexperienced with couple counselling. A strategy and topics for future field research collaboration between academics and career practitioners are suggested.