Needs and Purpose of Study
Needs and Purpose of Study
The world around us is quickly changing; career counselors must address college students' needs and help them navigate the ever-changing world with a holistic approach that supports students' needs. Integrating ILP and ACT is one of many new forms to address the changes in our world by integrating both mental health and career advising which will expand the scope of practice and better serve students.
Career counseling has been traditionally separated from mental health counseling (Pace & Quinn, 2000). However, the more we (Tyler, Ming, & JP), as graduate students, provide career counseling, the more we realize how intertwined the two are. At California State University, Sacramento's career center, it became aware that students come in to discuss much more than just career issues. Many areas of concern that students have brought up reminded us of Dr. Hansen's critical life tasks in ILP. As we applied ILP to our career sessions, we started understanding our students holistically, which goes beyond just career. With more knowledge of each student's situation, we have more goals we want to achieve with them. However, we experienced the limitation of ILP, as it is a powerful exploratory approach but less actionable. Knowing what, where, and why we want to create change with our students, we wanted a stronger how, which is ACT.
Changes Affecting Counseling & Career Development
Technology advances
Diverse workforce and the growth of multicultural populations
The need to have a work and family balance
Career transitions due to pandemic
Need to address mental health issues in career counseling
Emphasis on multiple identities that may impact career
Concerns about violence in schools, workplaces, and or communities