Vocational evaluation (VE) is a comprehensive assessment process that can be used to inform assessment of people with barriers to employment other than the physical or mental disabilities for which it is typically used. This article defines components of VE as established by an international health and human services accreditation organization.…

This article presents the basic tenets of Holland's (1997) theory of vocational personalities and work environments and discusses its use by employment counselors in service occupations. The authors describe Holland's 6 personality types and research on the theory, as well as formal and informal assessment and counseling strategies within the…

Misunderstandings in assessing career development are often a reflection of basic underlying differences in perspective. This article illustrates how the perspectives of field orientation, time frame, and goal setting influence such assessment. With this information, implications for practice and suggestions regarding possibilities for a…

Extends a formula previously introduced by Prediger which helps clients identify their vocational preference by locating themselves on a world-of-work map via a three-letter code. Suggests a way of generating, from a group of codes, one overall three-letter code, providing the career counselors with a more comprehensive view of the client. (RJM)

Assessment is described from the perspective of counselor inferential judgment. The problem with the conceptualization of assessment as a list of questions or measure is the possibility of getting stuck in the content of assessment. Types of cognitive bias and ways to avoid inferential error are discussed. (LKS)

Discusses supportive career counseling acts within the framework of three types of support: (1) emotional support; (2) informational support; and (3) appraisal support. Provides specific illustrations of appraisal support interventions. Looks at the role of support in examining life-role salience, and its influence on the identification and…

Most adult clients are in committed relationships in which both partners are engaged in paid employment, yet counselors have not readily shifted to "couples-oriented" career assessment. Addressing this problem should include adapting individual approaches to better fit couples and further related research, training, and practical…

Provides an overview of the use of test within the Canadian Employment Services. Some of the topics covered include the place of tests in the counseling service (the general context), the level of testing services provided to clients, the training provided for employment counselors, and the involvement of the employment service in test…