This digest focuses on international perspectives related to counseling supervision. It describes two strands in the history and understanding of supervision, one emerging from the United States and the other from Britain. The factor that distinguishes them is the location of counseling training. In the United States counselor training has largely…

The need for quality standards in career counseling and for the articulation of competencies required for practitioners delivering these services, is gaining increased attention in Canada and elsewhere. This digest outlines governmental efforts to develop guidelines for the career counseling of girls and women. Career counseling includes services…

A major survey of career and employment counseling in Canada was completed in 1993, with over 1600 counselors, department heads and managers of counseling centers, and regional directors working in career and employment counseling centers being polled. Survey results indicated: (1) there is a strong need for evaluation in all aspects of career…

Employment counseling is a set of interventions designed to help clients identify and resolve issues in employment-related decisions. This digest examines Canada's measurement model which was designed to enhance understanding of counseling's function. The model uses four employability dimensions: (1) career/occupation decision making; (2) skills…

At a time when career counseling services are increasingly essential, they remain marginalized and under-used. This digest explores ways in which marketing counseling services in Canada can strengthen the professional identity of career counselors and increase public acceptance of this field. Many career counselors feel that marketing corrodes…

Career counselors continually evaluate their work. Unfortunately, the evidence used to gauge success often is usually not considered valuative, is not documented, and cannot be used to back up claims of successful counseling. This digest outlines a new approach to evaluation. Since client-need determines counseling intervention, evaluation models…

Accountability in career counseling is receiving increased attention. However, few organizations have specific guidelines for the delivery of career counseling. This digest describes a workbook, developed in Canada, which furnishes a practical, valuative approach for support organizations that provide career counseling services. The procedures in…

The contextual considerations outlined in this digest provide a framework for career counseling with Canadian Native youth, a process which requires an unusually large range of cultural understanding and an appreciation of diversity and uniqueness. Counselors need to be aware of individual diversity within Native groups. Four Native…

Professional evaluation of career counseling programs is becoming increasingly important as funding becomes more limited and accountability more pervasive. This digest describes a Canadian approach used by an outside team to evaluate seven small career counseling programs. Evaluators addressed two basic goals: appraise the effectiveness and…

In this digest, "career counseling" refers to activities intended to improve individuals' ability to make career decisions. Studies have shown that career counseling helps individuals as much as well-developed psychological, educational, or behavioral interventions. But more studies are needed to explain this phenomenon; this digest…

It is essential for career counselors working with Canadian Native youth to be cognizant of Native communication patterns, which include non-intrusive listening, story-telling, patience, and respect for family influences. Native students and their parents want non-biased treatment, information, and guidance from counselors so as to ensure both…

Career development in Canada has been gaining prominence over the past decade. This digest outlines the principles on which career development must remain focused. First, the meaning of "career success" needs to be reconceptualized. With companies downsizing, people need to be able to view themselves as successful, despite changing…

As career development becomes established in Canadian secondary schools, the pressure increases to use performance assessments to demonstrate both the effectiveness of programs and the soundness of instructional decisions. This digest examines issues surrounding performance assessments of career development programs. Performance assessments can be…