Career Counseling Theories & Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real CSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Career Counseling Theories & Techniques flashcards as text
A client with a disability is concerned that employers will underestimate their abilities. Which career counseling theory MOST explicitly addresses environmental and societal barriers to career development?
Answer: Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)
SCCT explicitly incorporates contextual barriers and supports — including discrimination and structural inequities — as factors moderating career behavior.
Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a 'card sort' activity in career counseling?
Answer: To help clients identify and prioritize their values, skills, or interests through a hands-on sorting process
Card sorts are qualitative, interactive tools that help clients clarify priorities by physically sorting cards representing values, skills, or interests into categories.
In Gottfredson's Theory of Circumscription and Compromise, 'compromise' refers to:
Answer: Giving up preferred occupational alternatives in favor of more accessible ones
Compromise in Gottfredson's theory is the process by which individuals sacrifice preferred career choices for alternatives that seem more accessible given social barriers such as sex type and prestige.
A career counselor notices a client consistently attributes career setbacks to permanent, pervasive, and internal causes. This pattern is BEST described as:
Answer: Pessimistic explanatory style
Seligman's explanatory style research identifies pessimism as attributing negative events to permanent, pervasive, and internal causes, which can undermine career persistence.
Which of the following techniques is MOST associated with the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in career counseling?
Answer: Values clarification exercises and psychological flexibility training to reduce career avoidance
ACT in career counseling uses values clarification and mindfulness to help clients act in line with their values rather than avoid career-related discomfort.
The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) General Occupational Themes (GOTs) are directly based on which theoretical framework?
Answer: Holland's RIASEC typology
The SII's General Occupational Themes measure Holland's six RIASEC types — Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.
When applying constructivist career counseling, the counselor's stance is BEST described as:
Answer: Collaborative co-constructor who helps the client author meaning from their experiences
Constructivist counselors adopt a collaborative, non-expert stance, helping clients construct and author their own career narratives rather than prescribing solutions.