Asylum seekers experience conditions of social disadvantage, poor labor market outcomes, and low-paid jobs. Therefore, vocational guidance and career counseling must function as a supportive social practice for asylum seekers giving voice to them and focusing on their strengths, such as courage. The present study examined the personal stories of…

One of career counseling goals is to understand how to promote the well-being of people facing the unforeseen challenges of the changing world of work. The study investigates the relationship between psychological flexibility, career adaptability and well-being. 498 adult participants reply to Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Career…

Addressing immigrants' social and work inclusion is a priority at a time of increasing migration to Italy and Europe. Career counsellors can identify the sense of self in transition, consider complex experiences and socio-cultural stories, and tailor actions for inclusion. This project enhances understanding of this process and the elements that…

The context of contemporary work scenarios features constant change and innovation in the field of information and communication technologies, which result in frequent work transitions and job insecurity. Such circumstances are highly threatening to the wellbeing of workers. Moreover, the instability and precariousness of the labour market are…

This article reports the development and psychometric requisites of Visions About Future (VAF), a measure to assess optimism, pessimism, and hope in early adolescence. Two different studies involving Italian middle school students were conducted. With the first study, the items were developed and the factor structure verified by using item…

My Career Story (MCS) comprises a self-guided autobiographical workbook designed to assist individuals across life's diverse spectrum to narrate and shape their career stories. We describe the development and use of the MCS and its relevance for all people contemplating career transitions. Results of a study using the MCS with 20 emerging adults…

This paper explores the effects on workers' employability of workplace development opportunities during employment as perceived by the workers themselves. Data was collected through a survey conducted in 2012 in Italy using a sample of 558 workers. The aim was to test the effects of participation in training courses, workplace learning…

Studies have emphasized that career adaptability and future orientation are important factors in one's ability to deal with difficulties and achieve life satisfaction. This study examines the relationships among future orientation, career adaptability resources, and life satisfaction. Survey data from 373 Italian and Spanish university students…

This article examines the strategies and forms of expertise on language and communication mobilized to engineer commodifiable migrant workers. Drawing on an ethnographic account of counselling practices in a state-run Italian job guidance centre for newly arrived migrants, I examine the calculations, tactics, and forms of expertise on language and…

Individuals who pass through low-skilled work in their careers can represent this phase as showing strength of character as obstacles are overcome. However, continuing to work in low-skilled employment has so many negative consequences that finding ways to assist those individuals' career development is an important challenge for guidance policy…

This study was designed to assess the relationship of the relational and technical skills of the career counselor to five different career counseling outcomes (Client Satisfaction, Placement Skills, Self-Awareness, Psychological Mobilization, and Environmental Knowledge). Two hundred fifty-three university students participated in a study designed…

This study examined the effectiveness of group-based Life Design Counseling using the Career-Story Interview. Written exercises were used to implement the seven topics in the Career-Story Interview. The present study employed an experimental design that involved two groups of Italian entrepreneurs from the agricultural and trade sectors, namely an…

This study examined the validity of the Future Career Autobiography (FCA; Rehfuss, 2009), a qualitative instrument designed to capture change or stability in individuals' life and occupational narratives across time as a result of narrative career interventions. Italian female entrepreneurs (N = 82) were randomly assigned into either an…

This study applies a multidimensional scaling (MSD) technique to investigate the structural validity of the Work Values Inventory for Adolescents with a sample of Italian students. The MSD results indicated the presence of two underlying orthogonal dimensions: individuality versus sociality and conservation versus exploration. Implications for…

This article summarizes the work of a diverse group of researchers and practitioners from 5 continents on "Vocational Guidance Requests Within the International Scene" presented in the discussion group at a symposium of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, the Society for Vocational Psychology, and the…