Examining process constructs of narrative career counselling: an exploratory case study

Abstract

The present article examines how the five process constructs of reflection, connectedness, meaning making, learning and agency are operationalised in a constructivist approach to career counselling, specifically a storytelling approach. This article reports on an exploratory case study of a Black South African female university student. The case study provides examples of how a career counsellor enacts these constructs and facilitates their development in a client, as well as examples of how they are evident in client dialogue and action. Insight into the process of a storytelling approach to narrative career counselling is demonstrated, from which tentative suggestions are made about how to facilitate the process constructs of reflection, connectedness, meaning making, learning and agency.

Improving the career resilience of a survivor of sexual abuse

“…Research indicates that through this approach people are constantly allowed to give meaning to their life experiences, to understand them and construct better narratives (McMahon et al, 2012). Life design counselling has been proven successful in allowing people to make sense of trauma and construct newer, healthier stories in anticipation of a better future (Lara & Vess, 2014).…”

“…Life design counselling is essentially a narrative approach that allows people to constantly derive meaning from their life experiences, understand them and construct better narratives (McMahon, Watson, Chetty & Hoelson, 2012). The research questions that will be explored during this study focus mainly on the characteristics of sexual abuse and career resilience, the influence of sexual abuse on career resilience and how life design counselling can contribute to the career resilience of survivors of sexual abuse.…”

Adults changing careers through university education: Making meaning of quantitative career assessment scores through an integrative structured interview

“…Furthermore, in making meaning of their scores the participants learned more about themselves and were able to relate such learning to their career decisions; the ISI interview became a learning opportunity, which is a desirable element of career guidance with adult career changers (Bimrose & Brown, 2014). Although the stimuli for the interviews were the quantitative SDS scores, the process constructs of the storytelling approach to narrative career counselling, that is, reflection, connectedness, meaning making, learning and agency (McMahon et al, 2012a), were clearly evident in the interviews. This finding is consistent with a South African research which integrated career assessment with narrative career counselling (McMahon et al, 2012b).…”

“…Storytelling facilitates the core process construct of (3) connectedness through making explicit relationships and interconnections within and between influences (McMahon, Watson, Chetty, & Hoelson, 2012a, 2012b. Distinguishing the storytelling approach from other narrative career counselling approaches are the core process constructs of (4) reflection and (5) learning, both of which are explicitly incorporated as important elements of the career counselling process (McMahon et al, 2012a). (For a more detailed description of the storytelling approach and the process constructs, see McMahon et al, 2012b.)…”

“…Consistent with other narrative approaches to career counselling, the storytelling approach recognises as core process constructs (1) the personal agency of individuals to tell stories about and (2) to make meaning of their experiences (McMahon & Watson, 2010. Storytelling facilitates the core process construct of (3) connectedness through making explicit relationships and interconnections within and between influences (McMahon, Watson, Chetty, & Hoelson, 2012a, 2012b. Distinguishing the storytelling approach from other narrative career counselling approaches are the core process constructs of (4) reflection and (5) learning, both of which are explicitly incorporated as important elements of the career counselling process (McMahon et al, 2012a).…”