Helping Clients Cope with Change in the 21st Century: A Balancing Act

Abstract

The national vision to equip all individuals with the knowledge, skills and desire for lifelong learning in order to meet the challenges in the world of work today, and in the future, is a powerful incentive for career services professionals. The authors use the analogy of a chair to discuss four strategies to assist clients in maintaining balance as they cope with uncertainty and change.

Counseling Issues for Adult Women in Career Transition

“…Furthermore, reframing uncertainty as a new experience and an opportunity for growth can help overcome anxiety and resistance to change. If the client has had a positive experience with change or uncertainty, asking her to remember that time can be helpful (Pelsma & Arnett, 2002).…”

“…Other exercises may include encouraging the client to remember a time when she accomplished a certain goal and to probe what enabled that success. For example, the counselor may wish to explore how the client was thinking and what other things she was doing at that time (Pelsma & Arnett, 2002). If the client has had few successes and change is overwhelming, more creative approaches (such as visualization, drawing pictures, and creating “what if” scenarios) can help the client explore change and risks in a safe manner.…”

Career Counseling in a Volatile Job Market: Tiedeman's Perspective Revisited

“…Interventions that create hope, flexibility, resourcefulness, and adaptive cognitive processes are more effective. Such interventions can assist clients to step back, gain new perspectives, and review decisions in conjunction with contextual factors (Pelsma & Arnett, 2002). Learning to deal with adversity and using the opportunity to learn more about oneself and the world of work can greatly benefit a client's outlook.…”

“…Because the current economy continues to be turbulent, career development specialists need to find creative ways to encourage an atmosphere of career adaptability in their counseling sessions (Pelsma & Arnett, 2002). More than 40 years ago, Tiedeman and O'Hara (1963) suggested that career opportunities are not static entities but are more like flowing oceans; avenues for success are turbulent at times and smooth during others.…”

Evaluating a metacognitive and planned happenstance career training course for taiwanese college students

“…Career-related interventions have become increasingly common and successful . On the other hand, some career researchers and/or practitioners have proposed that career decision making and development might not be linear and further postulated the importance of investigating the impact of chance events on an individual's career path (Betsworth & Hanson, 1996;Cabral & Salomone, 1990;Krumboltz & Levin, 2004;Magnuson, Wilcoxon, & Norem, 2003;Mitchell, Levin, & Krumboltz, 1999;Pelsma & Arnett, 2002;Pryor & Bright, 2003;Scott & Hatalla, 1990;E . N .…”