Week 4

The Savickas (1995) article showed me how much I like constructivist theory and counseling. In particular, I like that the theory is founded on the belief that a person will better understand their surroundings by reflecting on their own life. These reflections allow the individual to create meaning. Each client who walks through our doors has a different life story, but what is important is how they accept and respond to their life circumstances. What do these experiences mean to them? I believe the core of constructivism is that we as humans are agents constructing our own beliefs and emotions about our life experiences. Perhaps I like constructivist theory because it seems so closely related to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and existential psychology. To me, it seems very holistic.

The role of a constructivist counselor is to help the client make meaning of their life experiences. We as counselors can enhance our understanding of the client’s life stories by listening carefully to the words and tone clients use when telling these stories. Our job as counselors is to help clients interpret these events in such a way that a life theme emerges. Much like the role of a cognitive therapist, the constructivist counselor can challenge clients’ explanations of events and help them see things from another point of view.

However, it seems that it would be difficult to help a client identify their life theme if they do not yet know who they are, what they believe, and what they stand for. Going back to the Savickas (1995) article, our job as counselors is to help clients who are undecided on a career. I must admit that in the past, I tended to believe that this indecision was simply a result of laziness—that the person did not want to “face the reality” of being an adult and get a job. Now I know that it goes much deeper than that. I think that part of the pervasive indecision in young people is a result of the developmental stage they are in. We know from Erikson’s research that the key developmental task during adolescence is identity formation. Part of the indecision comes from individual’s not knowing what makes them tick—that is, who they are, what they believe, and what they stand for.

That is where we as counselors can help clients become more aware of their beliefs and values as they reveal them throughout the storytelling process. The client can then assign meaning to those events, and a life-theme emerges. I believe that another part of indecision is a result of one’s lack of confidence in their decision. Confidence could be lacking for a number of reasons: 1) they are not totally sure this is what they want to/were made to do, and 2) they lack the self-efficacy that they are able to achieve a particular career goal. Kerpelman, Stringer, and Skorikov’s (2012) research revealed that career confidence is an important predictor of adjustment in the four years following high school graduation. 

Kerpelman, J., Stringer, K., & Skorikov, V. (2012). A longitudinal examination of career preparation and adjustment during the transition from high school. Developmental Psychology, 48(5), 1343-1354. doi: 10.1037/a0027296. 

Savickas, M. L. (1995). Constructivist counseling for career indecision. The Career Development Quarterly, 43(4), 363-373.