Career Development and Mental Health

Abstract

Research and theory linking career development and mental health is relatively rare. For the most part, the focus of attention on career development has been on its structure and its changes over time, not on the relationship between career patterns and mental health. Yet, there is growing evidence that such relationships do exist and that the absence of work or underemployment are reflected in behaviors which suggest various problems in living or, indeed, mental illness. To the degree that such relationships exist, career counseling or career guidance become more than vocational or career in their orienration and impact. They, in fact, become, or have the potential of becoming, mental health modalities.With few exceptions, career counseling has been historically portrayed as significantly more oriented to economic health, to choice of an occupation, to the development of pre-vocational skills and the preparation for work than to the reduction of stress and other factors that put persons "at risk" of experiencing physical or mental disorders. Some observers have argued that career counseling and psychotherapy are separate, not overlapping processes or that problems persons experience can be classified into those for which personal counseling and those for which career counseling is appropriate.Traditional and restrictive views of the purpose and potential of career counseling are slowly changing in the face of growing evidence that career development and human development are connected; satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one of these forms of development affects the other. Thus, career counseling is increasingly seen as a critical ingredient in the process of reconnecting unemployed, under-

Annual Review: Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development, 1989

“…Whether, therefore, career concerns are also mental health concerns (i.e., career concerns may generate serious mental health consequences), remains to be seen. Herr (1989b) noted, and we agree, that job loss and prolonged unemployment unequivocally produce mental health problems, sometimes serious ones. More studies are needed to show whether this is so for less serious displacements.…”

Attitudes Regarding Career Counseling: Perceptions and Experiences of Counselors‐in‐Training

“…To accomplish this, faculty may consider incorporating examples of career issues across the curriculum in courses such as counseling skills, group, multicultural counseling, ethics, human development, testing and assessment, and consultation. The link between career development and mental health has been recognized (Herr, 2005;Hinkelman & Luzzo, 2007). Hackett (1993) stated that as a matter of ethical practice, counselors must be equipped to meet client needs.…”

The effects of motor vehicle accidents on careers and the work performance of victims

“…Some authors, like Spokane (1989), have argued that career and mental health issues are unrelated in general, whereas others (Blustein, 1987(Blustein, , 1992Brown & Brooks, 1985;Herr, 1989;Loughead, Black & DeLucia, 1989;Lowman, 1997;Spengler, Blustein & Strohmer, 1990) have argued that there is an integral and complex overlap between mental health and career well-being.…”