Career

Counseling
with College
Students

Randy Cloke, Erin DeNapoli, and Shakira Moreta

EDU 735N
June 26, 2017
Preview

• We will cover multiple theories which can be used when counseling college
students to further probe their career interests, abilities, and socialization
• We will discuss the content of the theories themselves, but also what makes
them uniquely applicable to college students
• Theories covered
• Super’s Model of the Career Development of Children
• Arnett’s theory
• Hospon and Adams’ Model of Adult Transitions
• Resources for college students in the career exploration process
• Discussion questions
What is a college student?

• It may seem obvious, but perhaps not

• College students are of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and interests
• Ex: Not all theories applicable for 18-22 year olds will work for a college student who
is 42 and is going back to school to changing careers
• Career counseling at different institutional types will require different strategies
• Ex: a religiously-affiliated school will be different than a community college, large,
flagship state university, etc.
• Most college students are not required to visit with an office like Career
Services, which may be different than other professions in which one may do
some career counseling
Super’s Model of Career
Development of Children
• Individuals in the exploration stage of Super's model range from 15- 25 years
old.
• In this stage, individuals try to understand occupational information, choosing
alternatives for careers, deciding on an occupation, and starting to work.
• There are 3 substages in the exploration stage:
- crystallizing: individuals clarify what they want to do
- specifying: (occurs in early 20's for college students) individuals specify their
occupational preferences
- implementing: (last phase before working) individuals may begin to talk to
career counselors, networking, writing resumes, going on interviews, or making
decisions between job offers
Super’s model and College
Students
• For college students between the ages 18-25 in the exploration stage, career
counselors use the Salience Inventory, the Values Scale, the Adult Career
Concerns Inventory and the Strong Interest Inventory to asses their students'
interests, values and personality.
• Using the results of these assessments, career counselors help students create
potential career plans based on their interests, values, and personality.
Arnett’s Theory

• With a focus on emerging adulthood, Arnett offered an updated view of Super's

exploration stage.
• Arnett differentiated emerging adulthood from adolescence and young
adulthood by illuminating the following five key features of the stage:
• The age of identity explorations
• The age of instability
• The self-focused age
• The age of feeling in-between
• The age of possibilities
Arnett’s Theory and College
Students
• In the "age of identity" typical college students (18-22) are figuring out who they are based
on how they see themselves within the context of their experiences and opportunities.
• It is often an "age of instability" because it tends to be a period of transition within careers,
school choices, and romantic relationships.
• Because people in this stage have fewer responsibilities, they are "self-focused" so their
decisions tend to be based on what works best for themselves.
• Since they do not see themselves as adults or adolescents, they feel "in-between"
• Lastly, they are optimistic, and see this as an "age of possibilities" with the belief that
everything will get better in time.
• Counselors working with this particular demographic should be aware that "emerging
adults" may have a false sense of who they are. They may think they know exactly what
they want to do, but their decisions are based on limited experience. It is important for
the counselor to listen to the students' ideas while also offering suggestions to expand
their horizons, and help them further explore their options.
Hospon and Adams’ Model of Adult
Transitions
• Includes seven stages of transition for adults who face an abrupt career change,
including:
• Immobilization: Client it overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed.
• Minimization: Client is in a kind of denial, in an effort to convince themselves and those
around them that this is a smaller event than it is
• Self-Doubt: Includes insecurity about the ability to provide, and anxiety about the future
• Letting Go: A time of acceptance. The client starts to look ahead rather than back.
• Testing Out: The client begins to gather information/network, and develop ideas about how
to move forward.
• Search for meaning: Individuals begin to look at the bigger picture to understand why
events happened the way they did, and how to become ore objective in order to move
forward.
• Internalization: The individual has come through the crisis of transition and is armed with a
new set of coping skills.
Hospon and Adams’ model and
College Students
• Because "college career counselors" often work with older adults who have returned
to school following a crisis, or alumni who have recently been laid off, Hopson and
Adams' model is applicable to these individuals.
• Depending on the phase of crisis that the client may be going through, the counselor
will have to adjust his or her methods to accommodate.
• A counselor working with a client in the denial phase is likely to spend a lot of time
listening, with the understanding that the feelings are temporary, and will likely
change.
• When dealing with a client in the testing out stage, a counselor may be able to
suggest some career exploration.
• By the time the individual has reached internalization, the counselor can begin to lay
out practical steps to find a new career. At this stage, the client is ready to move on
and will need the support and guidance of a counselor.
Resources for College Students in
the Career Exploration Process
• Focus 2 Career – Using this education and career planning system will help
college students make informed career decisions using work interests, Holland
code, personality, skills, values, and leisure interests assessments.
• Indeed – Indeed is a job search engine where students can also post their
resumes and receive emails regarding open positions in the professional fields
they are interested in.
• LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a social networking website that allows people to connect
with other professionals in their fields.
Review

• We have covered three theories which are helpful in counseling college

students, but many, many more can be applied and utilized
• Some theories do not entirely apply, but certain parts or stages are appropriate
• There is no easy or simple path to take when counseling a college student, as
college students themselves are not uniform
• To be the best possible counselor one can, it is important to tailor your
approach to the individual first and foremost, while allowing for some
generalized theory and best practices to help guide you
Discussion Questions

• Are there other theories which you feel are helpful when career counseling
college students? If so, which theory, and what specifically do you think is most
helpful about it?
• Working with college students is unique. Compared to the clients you have
created, what do you think would be most challenging when working with a
college student and why?
• Can you think of any other resources which are uniquely helpful to a college
student in the midst of career exploration?