This edited collection examines the intersections between career guidance, social justice and neo-liberalism. Contributors offer an original and global discussion of the role of career guidance in the struggle for social justice and evaluate the field from a diverse range of theoretical positions. Through a series of chapters that positions career guidance within a neoliberal context and presents theories to inform an emancipatory direction for the field, this book raises questions, offers resources and provides some glimpses of an alternative future for work. Drawing on education, sociology, and political science, this book addresses the theoretical basis of career guidance’s involvement in social justice as well as the methodological consequences in relation to career guidance research.

This edited collection explores ways in which social justice can be integrated into career guidance practice. Chapter authors propose models and practices which can contribute to struggles for social justice and consider how career guidance can play a role in these struggles. They explore policy and practice in the light of critical social theory both critiquing career guidance and opening up new possibilities for the field. The volume moves the discipline away from its overwhelming reliance on psychology in favor of theoretically pluralistic approaches informed by critical thinking in a range of disciplines. It seeks to expand the possibilities that are available to career guidance practitioners and researchers to support the growth of human flourishing and solidarity.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Abstract: The handbook seeks to provide a state-of-the-art reference point for the field of career development. It engages in a trans-disciplinary and international dialogue that explores current ideas and debates from a variety of viewpoints including socio-economic, political, educational, and social justice perspectives. Career development is broadly defined to encompass both individuals' experience of their own careers, and the full range of support services for career planning and transitions. The handbook is divided into three sections. The first section explores the economic, educational, and public policy contexts within which careers are enacted. The second section explores the rich conceptual landscape of career theory. The third section addresses the broad spectrum of helping practices to support both individuals and groups including career guidance, career counseling, and career learning interventions. Keywords: Career; career development, career counseling, career guidance, career learning, career theory, public policy, social justice"--

Career development interventions can serve as one means to constructively address the problems of inequitable access to educational and occupational options and achievement that promote health and well-being across the lifespan. Career Development Interventions for Social Justice: Addressing Needs across the Lifespan in Educational, Community, and Employment Contexts offers practical examples of career development interventions that may be adapted to constructively address social justice needs at various points across the lifespan (ranging from elementary school ages to older adults) in educational, community, and employment contexts. Tailored to the needs and context of a specific underserved group of individuals, each intervention integrates relevant career development theory, research, ethical considerations, elements of sound program design and evaluation, and professional competencies for best practices in multicultural career counseling and social justice advocacy. Unique to this book are the contributions of authors, including practicing professional counselors and psychologists, who share their personal reflections of self-awareness from privileged and marginalized identities regarding potential biases and resources of relevance to their chapter’s intervention. In the process of designing and providing career development services for individuals from marginalized groups, it is imperative for counselors to continually reflect on and consult about their own biases and resources for empathic understanding and effectiveness with those whom we serve.

This fourth edition of the book attests to the Systems Theory Framework’s contemporary relevance. It introduces systems theory and the STF, overviews extant career theory, describes the STF’s applications, and highlights the STF’s contributions and future directions.

This book examines a topic widely regarded as the most pressing in career counselling today, i.e., how to ensure that everyone receives career counselling and that all workers have the opportunity to engage in sustainable, decent work. The author holds that career counselling should not only advance workers’ self- and career construction, helping them design successful career-lives and make social contributions, and live purposeful lives – it should also expound new theoretical approaches and interventions. Furthermore, the book criticizes global society for overlooking the basic needs of many workers, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. An important feature of the book is its emphasis on promoting a creative and innovative approach to career counselling so as to better answer contemporary career-related questions. It offers guidance on how to advance entrepreneurship and help workers develop critical thinking, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills. In this way the book promotes innovation in career counselling and maps the way forward in a theoretical and practical manner that helps clients ‘flourish’ rather than merely ‘survive’ in turbulent times impacted by the fourth wave in psychology, career counselling, the economy, as well as the 4th industrial revolution (Work 4.0).

This book is based on the Life Design paradigm and discusses the efforts made to overcome the matching paradigm between individuals and their work contexts, in order to guarantee the adoption of an active role for future career planning. Starting from the evolution of career counselling and vocational guidance in the 20th century and then following the more updated reflections in the Life Design paradigm, this book discusses research results from the Larios Laboratory (Padova, Italy) in collaboration with numerous international colleagues and institutions. These results show that career counselling and vocational designing can not only help people to plan their future in agentive ways, but also to help them getting out of the ‘mists of the present’ and to project themselves into a future that is yet to be created. This future is aligned by the world of research and international institutions, such as the UN and WHO, and follows the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular attention to Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8 and 12. This book reveals how trajectories can be created from one’s own mission, realized with the help of others and newly acquired strengths. It shows how career counselling and vocational designing can help people to build their own future from an inclusive and sustainable perspective, based on social justice, and to help build a better future for all.

"The counseling profession has been rooted in both social justice and career development since Frank Parsons began providing career guidance services to underserved youth and immigrants of Boston over a century ago (Kiselica & Robinson, 2001; O'Brien, 2001; Parsons, 1909). Support for a social justice paradigm in counseling has waxed and waned over the years but it appears to be growing in influence (Chang, Hays, & Milliken, 2009; Fouad, Gerstein, & Toporek, 2006; Smith, Reynolds, & Rovnak, 2009; Steele, 2010). It has been called the "fifth force" in counseling (Ratts, D'Andrea, & Arredondo, 2004; Ratts, 2009) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) listed promoting social justice as one of five core values of the counseling profession in the latest revision of the Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association, 2014). Counselor educators and researchers are working to understand and assess the implications of embracing the advocate role in a world that is increasingly diverse and global. For career counselors, this means helping clients deal with an unpredictable world of work. Although worker adaptability to a more unstable labor market is promoted as a key 21st century skill (Niles, Amundson, & Neault, 2010; Savickas, 1997), the social distribution of resources and opportunities remains unequal. Encouraging clients to adapt to unjust conditions without also acknowledging the role of unequal social structures is inconsistent with a social justice paradigm (Stead & Perry, 2012). Career counselors witness the economic and psychological impact of unfair social arrangements on individuals, families, and communities. Recent meta-analyses indicate that unemployment has a direct and causal negative impact on mental health, leading to greater rates of depression and suicide (Milner, Page, & LaMontagne, 2013; Paul & Moser, 2009). Thus, career counselors have a unique vantage point when it comes to social justice and a unique platform from which to advocate (Butler, 2012; Chope, 2010; Herr & Niles, 1998; O'Brien, 2001; Pope, Briddick, & Wilson, 2013; Pope & Pangelinan, 2010; Prilleltensky & Stead, 2012; Sultana, 2014; Toporek & Chope, 2006). This study fills a gap in the counseling literature by identifying distinct perspectives of career counselors on the topic of advocacy through the implementation of a Q methodological study. A sample of advocacy behaviors was constructed by reviewing the counseling literature on social justice and advocacy. Expert reviewers provided feedback on the Q sample resulting in a Q sample of 25 statements. Next, 19 experienced career counselors sorted the behaviors according to a condition of instruction, referring to their own career counseling work. All participants completed a post-sort interview which was later transcribed and used to understand the factors which emerged during data analysis. This study revealed two perspectives of career counselors in regard to advocacy behaviors in career counseling. One factor, labeled Focus on Clients, emphasized the importance of empowering individual clients and teaching self-advocacy. Another factor, labeled Focus on Multiple Roles, highlighted the variety of skills and interventions career counselors use in their work. These two factors represent two perspectives on a shared point of view as the factors were correlated at 0.71. The purpose of this study was not to identify a correct or ideal advocacy practice, but to better understand the decisions, motivations, preferences, and thought processes of practicing career counselors in regard to advocacy. Implications for career counselors and counselor educators are discussed, and directions for future research are recommended."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.