Vocational Assessment & Counselling

Curriculum Guideline

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Course
PSYC 4373
Discontinued
No
Course Code
PSYC 4373
Descriptive
Vocational Assessment & Counselling
Department
Psychology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
202220
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
35
Contact Hours
4 hours/week
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Learning Activities

Lectures will anchor instruction.  Other methods may include: Audio-visual demonstrations, student self- assessment, case studies, guest speakers, small group activities, group discussions, behavioural rehearsal, videos, and computer simulations.

Course Description
This course is an introduction to vocational counselling, which includes a review of major theories of career choice, development, adjustment and their specific application to career counselling. Also included is a brief review of, and application of, career assessment directed at facilitating career decision-making and counselling process. Relevant ethical guidelines are considered, as are the needs of special populations and settings related to career development.
Course Content
  1. Major theoretical models underlying vocational assessment and counselling, including historical overview, such as Trait & Factor Theories, Developmental Theories, Social Learning & Cognitive Theory and Constructionist/Constructivist Theories of Careers
  2. Vocational counselling relationship and process, including guidelines for ethical practice.
  3. Role of assessment in career counselling as well as analysis of internal and external variables related to work, career decision-making, and plan development.
  4. Vocational counselling with special populations characterized by age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, linguistic, special needs or disability variables
  5. Application of vocational counselling in specific settings.
Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

  1. Describe and discuss the basic tenets of major theoretical models underlying vocational counselling.
  2. Identify and analyze essential features of effective career counselling.
  3. Discuss the role of assessment in facilitating career decision making, including sources of bias in assessment.
  4. Outline effective procedures for problem clarification and goal formulation related to career counselling.
  5. Discuss the application of relevant ethical principles.
  6. Describe the considerations accruing to diversity and multicultural counselling, as well as application to special populations and settings.

 

Means of Assessment

The course evaluation will be in accordance with Douglas College and Psychology Department policies. Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

Discusssion and class contribution - 10%

Quizzes - 15%

Application exercises - 10%

Exams - 2 at 20% each - 40%

Written assignment - 25%

Total - 100%

Textbook Materials

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

  • Harris-Bowlsbey, J.G., & Niles, S.G. Career Development Interventions (current ed.). Pearson Canada.

 

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses