Affiliation:
1. Department of Psychology University of Évora Évora Portugal
2. School of Psychology University of Minho Braga Portugal
3. Department of Psychology School of Life Sciences and the Environment Royal Holloway University of London London UK
4. Departments of Mathematics and Application School of Sciences University of Minho Braga Portugal
Abstract
AbstractThis study tests an add‐on procedure to foster change in Career Construction Counseling by eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments. After the career counseling intervention with 42 participants, 21 participants were allocated to the add‐on procedure, consisting of two additional sessions focused on eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments In turn, participants in the comparison group attended two extra intervention sessions in which the lifetime task was used. Outcome measures assessing vocational behavior and psychological distress were applied at the onset, at the end of counseling and after the two additional sessions. The findings show that Career Construction Counseling was effective, allowing a significant increase in vocational certainty, vocational identity, career decision‐making, and a decrease in psychological distress. After counseling, participants in the add‐on intervention fostering reconceptualization innovative moments revealed greater gains in vocational identity and psychological distress than those in the comparison group. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Subject
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management,General Psychology,Applied Psychology