Counseling Strategies for Computer-Assisted Career Guidance:
A Cognitive Approach

James P. Sampson, Jr

Robert C. Reardon

Gary W. Peterson

Janet G. Lenz

January 1997

Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development
Dunlap Success Center
100 S. Woodward Avenue
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1035
(850) 644-6431 (voice) (850) 644-3273 (FAX)
http://www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter/

Counselor Intervention Strategies

Goals

Counselor interventions are intended to help the client:

1) gain a realistic initial perception of the potential benefits, limitations, and nature of computer-assisted career guidance (CACG) system use;

2) make appropriate use of the many diverse CACG information resources;

3) integrate computer-generated information with personal perceptions in order to solve career problems and make career decisions; and

4) relate CACG information to other career interventions and resources.

Note: From an information processing perspective, counselor interventions are intended to help the client gain and maintain functional and positive metacognitions concerning the career decision-making process - such as awareness of occupational stereotypes, client perceptions of the chances of completing preparation programs, and potential success in occupations - as well as to facilitate positive and realistic client self-talk.

Timing

Counselor intervention strategies can be classified according to whether they are used before, within, or after the client's scheduled appointments for CACG system use:

1) Preintervention strategies prepare individuals to use the system.

2) En-route strategies help clients to process their experience while using the system (including review of printouts), and prepare them for subsequent modules/sections.

3) Post-intervention strategies help clients to integrate their CACG experience into a specific plan for implementing a career choice or identifying other resources that may help resolve career problems. In the following sections, the three counselor intervention strategies are integrated with CACG system elements and the CASVE cycle. A summary of this material is provided on the following page.

Elements of CACG Systems, Timing of Interventions,
and the CASVE Cycle[1]

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CACG System Intervention Stage in
Element Point[2] CASVE Cycle .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Orientation and Intervention 1
Needs Assessment Communication

Self-Assessment Analysis

Generating Alternatives Synthesis (Elaboration)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Information Intervention 2
Dissemination Analysis

(User Cognition) Synthesis
(Crystallization)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Decision-Making Intervention 3 Valuing
Instruction
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Implementation Intervention 4 Execution
of a Choice
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Intervention 5 Communication

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Counselor Intervention Strategies

Intervention I: Exploring the problem and formulating alternatives

Communication The client, aware that a career problem or opportunity exists, seeks career services. The following procedures are recommended:

1. Help the client define the nature of his or her career problem in terms of a gap between a real and an ideal state in:

a) self-knowledge and occupational knowledge (need for information);

b) generic information processing skills (need for assistance with decision making); and

c) metacognitions (dysfunctional thinking related to career choice).

2. Determine the appropriateness of CACG use (prescreening), taking into account:

a) the client's needs;

b) CACG system goals;

c) the client's emotional, physical, and cognitive capacity

d) the characteristics of the CACG system.

3. If CACG system use is appropriate, discuss the following issues with the client:

a) the potential benefits and limitations of using a particular CACG system;

b) common client misconceptions (metacognitions) that the computer will provide a magical answer or that the computer can be the sole information resource for decision-making;

c) the fact that prior experience with computers is not required for successful CACG system use;

d) the importance of a "playful" risk-taking attitude toward career exploration, such as generating diverse lists of occupations;

e) the importance of obtaining printouts of key CACG system displays, such as self-assessment, and a list of occupational alternatives, etc.;

f) confidentiality and computer record keeping procedures, if available; and

g) any available written introductory materials or exercises for the CACG system.

4. Recommend a contextual support for using the system that is consistent with the client's needs and organization's resources, such as

individual career counseling,

self-directed career decision-making,

group career counseling, or

curricular interventions.[3]

5. Recommend a specific sequence of modules or sections based upon the learning objectives agreed upon by the client and the counselor. The objectives and instructional sequence provide the client with a map for using the system while facilitating the understanding of how the use of the system relates to career problem solving and decision making.

A counselor may recommend the use of modules or sections from two or more CACG systems in order to meet specific learning objectives.

Note: During the communication phase, it is important to avoid overwhelming the client with information.

6. Create or reinforce positive client expectations and self-talk (metacognitions) that:

1) successful career problem solving and decision making is generally possible (though there is no guarantee of success);

2) the counselor is competent and the service delivery system is well designed;

3) the counselor is concerned about the welfare of the client; and

4) the client is capable of following through on information processing tasks, such as completion of the assigned CACG system sections or modules, and reviewing of occupational information.

Analysis

Introduce the potential benefits and limitations of self-assessment by:

Describing the self-assessment dimensions, such as values, interests, and skills, evaluated by the particular CACG system being used.

Explaining how the computer and software functions.

If dysfunctional thinking is a barrier, help the client to identify inappropriate metacognitions and to substitute more rational thoughts.

Note: At this point the client should be better prepared conceptually to use the system and more confident that he or she is capable of successful system use.

Synthesis (Elaboration)

Explain the search logic of the computer program for identifying occupational alternatives

Foster the development of an exploratory attitude regarding problem solving and decision making by encouraging the client to play with the system. This attitude enables the client to fully use the search capabilities of the CACG system:

1) to maximize the number of potential options that fit the client's values, interests, and skills; and

2) to acquire knowledge of the cause and effect relationships between personal attributes and occupational opportunities, for example, most of the occupations that provide high income, leadership, and autonomy also require considerable educational attainment.

Note: After completing the section or module for generating career alternatives, the client should be discouraged from immediately proceeding with subsequent components of the CACG system. Clients often find it helpful to take the time to review the printouts with a counselor in order to consider the accuracy of results of the self-assessment, as well as the appropriateness of the occupations generated by the computer. In some cases, it may be appropriate to repeat components of the self-assessment and alternative-generation modules before obtaining occupational information about likely choices.

Intervention II

Analysis

Help the client refine his or her world schemas by suggesting an organizational scheme, such as the Holland hexagon or the World-of-Work Map.

Suggest an information processing strategy for identifying which occupations, are suitable for detailed exploration. The computer generated list may undergo further screening using criteria such as the appeal of work activities, the expected income, and the educational requirements.

For those occupations that the client wants to explore in greater depth, suggest additional options for obtaining information - other CACG system modules or sections, non-interactive media such as print and audio-visual materials, information interviews with job incumbents, shadowing, work simulations, or direct work experience.

Discuss the potentially limiting nature of stereotypes so as to avoid restrictions of exploration imposed by the client's biased perceptions of some of the occupations generated by the computer.

Help the client to identify and analyze any dysfunctional metacognitions related to vicarious role assumption.

Review the client's intended process for narrowing his or her list of career options.

Help the client to determine where he or she is in the CASVE cycle and to evaluate his or her progress in the problem-solving process.

Synthesis (Crystallization)

The client reduces the original list of occupational alternatives generated by the CACG system (or other sources) to the three to five alternatives that seem most congruent with the client's personal preferences, values, interests, skills, and other important personal constructs not tapped by the CACG system.

Intervention III

Valuing

Review with the client the personal and environmental factors that relate to problem solving:

1) the time frame for making a decision

2) the client's present employment

3) influence of family members and friends on the choice process;

4) potential impact of various occupational choices on family members;

5) client's level of anxiety caused by the choice process;

6) client's style of decision-making (rational, intuitive, or dependent); and

7) the availability of funds to cover the costs of the various educational and training options.

Discuss the criteria for evaluating the various options, such as costs vs. benefits or risks vs. desirability.

Introduce the concept of reality testing through interviewing job incumbents, shadowing or even taking part-time employment to acquire additional knowledge that may bear on the consideration of options generated by the computer.

Introduce the concept of secondary occupational choice, that is, a choice that can emerge if the primary choice becomes unattainable, due to lack of resources, failure to obtain entry into an appropriate preparation program, or failure to complete a preparation program. Sometimes the primary choice becomes inappropriate, as a result of maturational processes in which values, interests, or skills change as a result of reality testing, or factors beyond the control of the client, such as change in health, change in family situation, or change in the economy.

Intervention IV: Implementing

Execution

Encourage the client to develop an implementation (execution) plan related to his or her first choice.

To assist the client in developing the plan, review personal and environmental factors that may influence the development of the plan, such as time constraints, family considerations, anxiety, the client's decision-making style, and the availability of financial and human resources.

If the client requires information about local educational opportunities, financial aid, or job search resources, assist the client in locating and using such information.

Suggest that the client review any written follow-up material provided by the developer of the CACG system.

Intervention V: Evaluation

Communication

When the client has completed the execution process, ask the client to review the gaps in knowledge, skills, or metacognitions that originally led the client to seek career assistance.

If client feels that the gap has been reduced to such a degree that no additional services are currently needed, then discuss options for future career assistance in the form of self-help materials, individual career counseling, self-directed career decision making, group career counseling, or curricular interventions.

References

Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Reardon, R. C. (1991). Career development and services: A cognitive approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., & Lenz, J. G. (1996). Becoming career problem solvers and decision makers: A cognitive information processing approach. In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.), Career choice and development (3rd. Ed.) (pp. 423-475). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., & Reardon, R. C. (1989). Counselor intervention strategies for computer-assisted career guidance: An information processing approach. Journal of Career Development, 16, 139-154.

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[1] NOTE: This handout is intended to be used along with the document entitled, "Core Concepts of A Cognitive Approach to Career Development and Services," or along with the references identified at the end of this handout.

[2] In situations where more time intensive counselor contact is possible, e.g. group counseling, workshops, or career courses, counselor interventions can be intensified by positioning interventions before and after each module/section for the specific CACG system being used.

[3] For additional information, refer to the document entitled, "Career Counseling and Guidance Interventions."