Portrait of Counseling Psychology: Demographics, Roles, Activities, and Values Across Three Decades

We summarize the results of a national survey ( N = 799) conducted to provide a current snapshot of counseling psychologists, what they do, how and where they do it, and the extent to which they ascribe to specific counseling psychology values. We describe our sample and compare Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) members to non-SCP counseling psychologists belonging to the American Psychological Association. Of those within the SCP, we compare early career professionals (ECPs) with mid to senior-level professionals. Finally, we compare findings from our survey with those from two previous surveys. Our findings highlight the diversity in the roles, activities, workplaces, and perspectives of contemporary counseling psychologists; differences between counseling psychologists who are SCP members and nonmembers, and between ECPs and more senior professionals; and changes in the profession’s character over time. Considerations for the SCP are discussed.

Career Assessment for Adolescents with Mild Disabilities: Critical Concerns for Transition Planning

This paper addresses the theoretical and practical concerns of transition-related career assessment for adolescents with mild disabilities. First, different terms used with assessment-career, vocational, and transition assessment-are defined to gain a clearer understanding of the general purposes of career assessment in transition planning and preparation. Second, the applicability of prominent career theories, including common assumptions or misconceptions, about the career behavior of individuals with mild disabilities is discussed. Third, primary career assessment areas that support the preparation of adolescents with mild disabilities for making the transition from school to adult life are presented. Finally, the applicability of commonly used assessment instruments for individuals with mild disabilities is reviewed. Alternative ways to conceptualize the assessment process also are considered. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Effects of Strong Interest Inventory Feedback on Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Social Cognitive Career Beliefs

Undergraduates (64 women and 35 men) enrolled in a university orientation course completed measures of career decision-making self-efficacy and career beliefs. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) with feedback group, the SII completion-only group, or the control group. Students who completed the SII and participated in a social cognitive-based group feedback and interpretation session exhibited higher levels of posttest career decision-making self-efficacy and differential career beliefs relative to students in the other experimental groups. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are presented, and ideas for additional research in this domain are discussed.

A Comparison of Strengths and Interests Protocols in Career Assessment and Counseling

This study examined the relative performance of three career counseling protocols: a strengths-based protocol, an interest-based protocol, and a protocol that combined strengths and interests. Outcome measures included career exploration, occupational engagement, career decision self-efficacy, hope, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction pre- and post-intervention. The participants consisted of 82 undergraduate students enrolled in a career and life-planning course. Each participant received a career counseling intervention and a Strong Interest Inventory (SII), StrengthsFinder, or both the SII and StrengthsFinder interpretation. While all three groups showed significant gains from pretest to posttest on most outcomes, results suggest the interests protocol (IP) was the most effective approach when considering the conservation of resources. However, results also merit further exploration of the combined protocol (CP; strengths plus interests) given the greatest gains were achieved by this approach on all but one construct, though not significantly different from the IP. Implications are discussed.

Effects of Joint Interpretation of the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Career Choice

Classes of community college students completed the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), both instruments, or neither instrument. Contrary to previous findings that different vocational treatments produce similar effects, 12 weeks after test interpretation participants who had completed both instruments showed a pattern of more change in career goal, specificity of career goal, or level of certainty with reference to career goal in analyses of (a) the total sample (N = 427), (b) males only (n = 120), (c) females only (n = 307), (d) traditional age students only (n = 337), and (e) reentry students only (n = 90). The MBTI was rated to be as helpful as the SII in career decision making. Significant gender and age effects were found. Results support theoretical models relating understanding of one's personality with effective career development, and the joint use of the SII and MBTI in vocational counseling.

Concurrent Validity of the 2005 Strong Interest Inventory: An Examination of Gender and Major Field of Study

This is the first article evaluating the concurrent validity of the 2005 Strong Interest Inventory (SII). The Basic Interest Scales (BISs) were substantially revised to reflect the changing workplace, so such an update is particularly important. Concurrent validity of the 41 content scales in the SII was examined for differentiating 31 college majors in a national college sample of 1,403 women and 469 men. Using discriminant analyses, three sets of content scales were used to predict major field of study. These were six General Occupational Scales, five Personal Style Scales, and 30 BISs. Each set of scales showed substantial concurrent validity in differentiating college major for women and men. The most specific scales, the BISs, were the most predictive of major, with hit rates 6 times greater than chance. Results clearly supported the concurrent validity and counseling utility of the content scales of the SII.

Career and Vocational Assessment 1993 -1994: A Biennial Review

This is the first biannual review of research for the Journal of Career Assessment. A selective review, this article covers the 2- year period, 1993-1994. Seven inclusion criteria were employed in an effort to reduce the extensive literature by up to 50%. Principal topics were: The origin, structure, and nature of vocational interests; Career indecision; Culture and career assessment; Gender and career assessment; and Tests as tools: What should we teach graduate students? Several conclusions were drawn from this review. The proportion of vocational interests that can be attributed to genetic sources is apparently greater than was previously believed. Further, interests may be broad constructs if strong correlations between interests and personality continue to be found. Repeated confirmation of the circular arrangement of interests is leading to three-dimensional (spherical) models of interests. The introduction of one new, and three revised, interest inventories is testimony to the future viability of vocational interests as diagnostic and treatment devices. Career decision appears to have a strong neurotic component, but our understanding of the nature of indecision is limited by a failure to relate this area to basic decision science. Research on culture and gender in career development continues at a high rate. Finally, questions are raised about the adequacy of vocational assessment training in graduate programs. A call is made for more systematic theoretical work in vocational assessment and for a closer link to interventions.

Effect of Mode of Interest Assessment on Clients’ Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

To compare the effects of three different modes of interest assessment on career decision-making self-efficacy, 81 career-undecided college students participated in one of the following four conditions: an assessment intervention using the Strong Interest Inventory, an intervention using one of two methods of applying the Self-Directed Search, or a no-treatment control group. Change in career decisionmaking self-efficacy from pre-to posttest was assessed. Career decision-making self-efficacy increased significantly for all three treatment groups, and in each case, pre-post differences for the treatment groups exceeded the pre-post difference for the no-treatment control group. Differences in outcomes among the three treatment groups were not observed.

The Use of the Career Decision Scale in Career Assessment

The history, development, and empirical foundations of the Career Decision Scale (CDS; Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976; 1987) are reviewed and summarized. The major research findings using the instrument are examined, along with its various uses in program planning, practice with special populations, and theory. Issues related to the instrument's use with women and men are briefly discussed, as are the cross-cultural applications of the measure. Finally, the controversy regarding the factor structure of the scale is reviewed.

On Hope, Promise, and Possibility in Counseling Psychology or Some Simple, but Meaningful Observations about Our Specialty

In this article, IO broad-based trends that seem to characterize counseling psychology are identified The trends focus on changes having occurred and occurring in (a) research and training, (b) special populations, (c) assessment, counseling, and counseling training and supervision, (d) vocational psychology, and (e) Division 17. Evidence supporting each trend is presented, and some brief discussion about the significance of these trends for our specialty's future is provided.

Training in Supervision

This study examined the current state of affairs of training in the practice of supervision in doctoral programs and predoctoral internship sites accredited by the American Psychological Association. Results indicated that although a majority of programs and sites offered some type of opportunity for training in supervision, there were differences in the methods and extent of the training. In particular, statistically significant differences were found between the training offered in counseling psychology programs when compared to clinical psychology programs, and in university counseling center internship programs when compared to other types of internship sites. The more extensive training in supervision offered among counseling psychology programs and counseling center internship sites is discussed in terms of the identity of counseling psychology and the future of professional psychology in general. Recommendations for enhancing training in the conduct of supervision and directions for further research are also offered.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Assessment Feedback Models in Reducing Career Indecision

We examined the relative effectiveness of information giving (IG) and therapeutic assessment (TA) models of career assessment feedback in reducing career indecision. Clients initiating career counseling at a large Midwestern University completed measures of career choice anxiety (CCA), vocational identity, and career decision-making self-efficacy prior to and following a two-session intervention. We also administered measures of treatment integrity and session helpfulness immediately following treatment. Clients were randomly assigned to an intervention based upon either an IG or TA model of assessment feedback. Results indicated that TA participants’ vocational identity scores improved significantly more than those of IG participants; a medium-to-large effect size was identified. TA and IG participants’ CCA and decision-making self-efficacy scores significantly increased but not differentially following treatment. Participants of both groups rated their feedback sessions as “greatly helpful.” We discuss implications for career assessment as well as the limitations of the study.

Using Accuracy of Self-Estimated Interest Type as a Sign of Career Choice Readiness in Career Assessment of Secondary Students

A frequent applied method in career assessment to elicit clients' self-concepts is asking them to predict their interest assessment results. Accuracy in estimating one's interest type is commonly taken as a sign of more self-awareness and career choice readiness. The study evaluated the empirical relation of accuracy of self-estimation to career choice readiness within a sample of 350 Swiss secondary students in seventh grade. Overall, accuracy showed only weak relations to career choice readiness. However, accurately estimating one's first interest type in a three-letter RIASEC interests code emerged as a sign of more vocational identity and total career choice readiness. Accuracy also correlated positively with interest profile consistency, differentiation, and congruence to career aspirations. Implications of the results for career counseling and assessment practice are presented.

The Relationship between Rothwell-Miller Interest Categories and Abilities

This study examined the relationship between vocational interests and abilities. The Rothwell-Miller Interest Blank (Miller, 1958), a self-report instrument that measures 12 career interests (outdoor, mechanical, computational, scientific, personal contact, aesthetic, literary, musical, social service, clerical, practical and medical) was used to assess vocational interests. Abilities were assessed by two group-administered objective tests of ability: the Standard Progressive Matrices (Raven, Court & Raven, 1992) and the ML-MQ (Australian Council for Educational Research, 1981). The sample consisted of 3446 individuals (880 females and 2566 males). A weak to modest relationship between interests and abilities was found. The pattern of relationships was consistent with our predictions. Although ability assessment has not traditionally been an important part of vocational assessment, it was concluded that objective ability assessment, together with vocational assessment, assists the development of self-knowledge and realistic career decision-making.