This article reviews the impact of dysfunctional career thinking on career choice, the use of cognitive restructuring to identify, challenge, and alter dysfunctional cognition, and the limitations of existing readiness screening and cognitive restructuring procedures. The recently developed Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) can be used by practitioners to assist adults, college students, and high school students to identify, challenge, and alter dysfunctional career thoughts, and then subsequently take action to make career choices. The cognitive information processing and cognitive therapy theoretical bases of the instrument are described, followed by a discussion of the development of the CTI and the CTI Workbook. Data are then presented on the readability, standardization, reliability (internal consistency and stability), and validity (content, construct, convergent, and criterion) of the measure. The use of the CTI is then described in terms of screening, needs assessment, and learning. Issues related to terminology, diversity, and utility are also discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of preliminary experience in using the CTI in practice.

This article begins with a review of the use of readiness assessment measures as a strategy for improving career services. A 5-step process model for readiness assessment is then proposed and current readiness measures are identified. Although considerable research has been conducted on career decision-making readiness and numerous measures have been developed, there has been limited literature available on the application of readiness assessment in selecting career interventions to meet specific client needs. This article continues with a theory-based conceptualization of readiness and then links readiness assessment to the selection of career interventions designed to meet clients' needs.Clarifying the nature of an individual's career problem is an important initial step in delivering a career intervention (Spokane, 1991). Assessment (or diagnosis) ofclient needs at the beginning ofthe career service delivery process helps ensure that the services individuals receive are congruent with their needs (Amundson

The present study examined the relationships between two measures of career readiness and difficulties—the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ)—as well as the relations between these measures and the individual’s degree of decidedness regarding his or her career plans. A total of 192 university students enrolled in a career-planning class filled out both questionnaires. As hypothesized, the two measures overlapped significantly. There was a highly significant correlation (corrected for attenuation) between the total scores of the questionnaires ( r= .82), but the correlations between the questionnaires’ subscales varied between –.03 and .83. Both the CTI and the CDDQ distinguish among individuals at different stages of the career decision-making process. As hypothesized, participants with a higher degree of decidedness reported lower levels of difficulties. Implications of the unique features of each of the measures for career-related interventions and further research are discussed.

The primary purpose of this paper is to introduce essential elements of cognitive information processing (CIP) theory, research, and practice as they existed at the time of this writing. The introduction that follows describes the nature of career choices and career interventions, and the integration of theory, research, and practice. After the introduction, the paper continues with three main sections that include CIP theory related to vocational behavior, research related to vocational behavior and career intervention, and CIP theory related to career interventions. The first main section describes CIP theory, including the evolution of CIP theory, the nature of career problems, theoretical assumptions, the pyramid of information processing domains, the CASVE Cycle, and the use of the pyramid and CASVE cycle. The second main section describes CIP theory-based research in examining vocational behavior and establishing evidence-based practice for CIP theory-based career interventions. The third main section describes CIP theory related to career intervention practice, including theoretical assumptions, readiness for career decision making, readiness for career intervention, the differentiated service delivery model, and critical ingredients of career interventions. The paper concludes with regularly updated sources of information on CIP theory.

No abstract