Prospective Counsellors Experiences of the Career Adaptability Process: A Qualitative Study

Research Model

The primary aim of this study is to elucidate the experiences of career adaptability among prospective counsellors and to explicate the meanings they assign to these experiences. The central phenomenon under investigation is career adaptability. This inquiry has been methodologically structured within the phenomenological framework, as per qualitative research paradigms. Patton (2014) posits that phenomenological design is purposed to unearth the essence of participants’ lived experiences pertaining to the phenomenon and the concomitant meanings they attribute.

The analysis process, following the same line of reasoning, was not limited to merely coding and thematically classifying the data; it focused on understanding the essence of the experience through narratives reflecting participants’ experiences related to career adaptability. In examining the data, the principle of bracketing the researcher's own assumptions and prejudices was carefully observed in the first stage, and participant statements were approached with a neutral and open mindset. Following this stage, meaningful statements that best represented the participants’ experiences were identified. Through these statements, the experiences of career adaptability and the meanings attributed to them were revealed. The identified units of meaning were integrated within the framework of the phenomenological interpretation process to explain the typical structure and fundamental essence of the career adaptability experience. In this context, themes were treated not merely as descriptive categories but as holistic structures reflecting the patterns of meaning underlying participants’ experiences. Ultimately, the analysis process aimed to gain a deep understanding of the experiences of prospective counsellors regarding career adaptability and to make the essential dimensions of these experiences visible, consistent with the fundamental principles of the phenomenological approach.

Participants

This study included a total of 15 participants, selected using criterion sampling, a specific type of purposive sampling method (Neuman, 2016). The criteria established for participation in the study were: (a) being enrolled in a psychological counseling and guidance licensure program, (b) agreeing to participate in the study voluntarily and signing an informed consent form, and (c) not having an active psychiatric diagnosis that could significantly negatively affect participation in in-depth qualitative interviews, emotional regulation capacity, cognitive functions, or the ability to express experiences reflectively. The specified criterion does not aim to exclude all individuals with psychiatric diagnoses; it is applied to ensure that participants can engage in the interview process in an emotionally balanced manner and convey their career-related experiences in a meaningful and consistent way. Information regarding psychiatric diagnoses was obtained based on participants’ self-reports; no clinical assessments or diagnostic processes were conducted within the scope of the research. The participant group consisted of six men and nine women; participants’ ages ranged from 20 to 22. The names listed in the results section have been categorized as code names.

Researcher Roles

In the qualitative research approach, it is important for the researcher to explain his/her personal characteristics and role in the research process. Because in the qualitative research approach, the researcher is not a tool that records the phenomenon experienced by the participants one-on-one. Instead, the researcher functions as a data collection tool by involving himself/herself in the process (Yin, 2011). Therefore, in this approach, the researcher must explain demographic characteristics and role in the research process (Creswell, 2013).

This research was conducted by two researchers. The first researcher is a professor at a public university in Turkey. The researcher, who completed his undergraduate education in the department of guidance and psychological counselling and his master's and doctoral education in the field of educational psychology. The researcher, who continues his professional life as a positive psychotherapist and as an academic, has many studies on counselling education and career adaptability.

The second researcher continues his academic life as an associate professor at a public university in Turkey. He did his master's and doctoral education in the department of guidance and psychological counselling. In addition, he has academic studies in guidance and psychological counselling, especially career counselling, and has experience in group and individual career counselling practices.

Data Collection

The apparatus deployed for data collection was a semi-structured interview schedule. In the initial preparatory phase, a rigorous literature review was undertaken to inform the development of the interview protocol. Insights, empirical findings, and theoretical propositions from the existing literature informed the preliminary development of interview questions. This draft was subsequently subjected to the scrutiny of domain experts, whose critiques and amendments were solicited. Incorporating their recommendations, the research team meticulously revised the instrument, culminating in a refined semi-structured interview schedule primed for deployment.

The thematic core of the interviews revolved around the following inquiries:

How do you evaluate the counselling profession in terms of your career adaptability?

Prior to the initiation of the interview process, participants were presented with an informed consent document, which encapsulated a synopsis of the research objectives and procedures. The document explicitly detailed the voluntary nature of participation and outlined the ethical assurances provided, including the guarantee of confidentiality and the use of anonymized identifiers in the dissemination of data.

The empirical data were gathered through a series of 15 individualized interview sessions, executed by the investigators. These sessions were hosted within the professional confines of a designated counselling chamber at a public university. The temporal bounds of each dialogic engagement ranged from 15 to 20 min, ensuring both depth and focus in the exploratory discourse.

Analysis of Data

Content analysis technique was rigorously applied within this study. The content analysis unfolded through a four-stage process (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2013). Initially, pivotal participant statements were extracted and subjected to a meticulous coding process. Subsequently, the encoded data were systematically categorized based on thematic congruence and variances, yielding a rich tapestry of sub-themes and overarching themes. In the penultimate stage, the congruity and pertinence of the emergent sub-themes, themes, and codes were scrupulously appraised. The culmination of this analytical trajectory involved the delineation and interpretive synthesis of the findings (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2013).

Ensuring Trustworthiness

Credibility: To enhance credibility, one of the methodologies employed was expert review. This involved the critical examination of raw data by scholars, ensuring the emergent findings’ validity and comprehensiveness (Creswell, 2013). This study sought the expertise of two distinguished scholars within the field of guidance and psychological counselling to scrutinize the raw data, emergent codes, sub-themes, and themes for their robustness and validity. The analyses underwent iterative refinements in response to the expert feedback, culminating in their definitive form. Another credibility strategy was ensuring adequate and pertinent participant engagement. The core criterion for this engagement was the researcher's achievement of data saturation, a point at which no new information was observed (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). In this study, the researchers confirmed credibility by attaining a comprehensive and representative compilation of sub-themes, themes, and codes, indicative of thorough participant engagement.

Transferability: The facilitation of transferability was predominantly achieved through detailed and rich descriptive accounts. This research delineated participant demographics, alongside the data collection and analytical procedures with meticulous precision (Hunt, 2011; Patton, 2014). The profundity of individual participant interviews was captured, and verbatim excerpts were provided to allow for the contextual immersion of the findings. Additionally, the findings were contextualized within the ambit of extant literature, drawing parallels and noting divergences, thereby furnishing a comparative discourse.

Confirmability: Confirmability was pursued through methodological triangulation, a process involving the corroboration of data and interpretive claims through the invocation of multiple evidentiary sources and analytical lenses (Denzin, 1978; Miles & Huberman, 2015). In this study, two independent researchers conducted a parallel analysis of the data and subsequently convened to discuss their interpretations. This collaborative analysis ensured a consensus on the findings, which were subsequently presented to an external auditor. The external auditor affirmed the integrity of the consensus, endorsing the fidelity and rigour of the analytical processes undertaken.

Reliability: To assess the reliability of this investigation, the inter-coder reliability analysis formula proposed by Miles and Huberman (2015) was employed. This reliability formula is articulated as follows: Reliability = consensus / (consensus + discrepancy). Applying this formula to the present study yields a reliability quotient of 22 / (22 + 6) = 0.78. This metric suggests that the inter-coder reliability coefficient within this research is maintained at a satisfactory threshold. Moreover, the methodological implementation of triangulation has not only bolstered the study's confirmability but has also constructively impacted its reliability by mitigating potential researcher biases (Miles & Huberman, 2015).

Personality Traits

Prospective counsellors have stated that personality traits play a significant role in shaping their professional identity in the field of psychological counselling. Participant narratives reveal that traits such as extraversion, openness to experience, and emotional intelligence help candidates feel suitable for this profession. Participants who believed they possessed these traits emphasized that they had established a meaningful alignment between their personality structures and the requirements of the counselling profession; they stated that this alignment served as a source of confidence and motivation in shaping their professional identities. Participant statements suggest that personality traits are not merely individual qualities, but rather meaningful resources that are experienced during the process of forming a professional identity. Examples of the candidates’ perspectives on personality traits are provided below:

“I find the domain of interpersonal communication very appealing; I enjoy establishing communication, being in interaction with people. That's why I am considering pursuing a career in this field” (Barış).

Vocational Aptitude and Interest

Prospective counsellors have interpreted vocational aptitude and interest not merely as individual skills, but fundamentally as a social aid orientation. The concepts of the aptitude to love, analytical aptitude, and the desire to help people, which stand out in the participants’ narratives, show that they view the counselling profession as more than just a technical expertise, but as a human and ethical responsibility. Participants stated that developing a sense of belonging to the counselling profession and being able to practice it competently is closely related to the presence of these tendencies, which are considered compatible with the field. Below are illustrative examples of the candidates’ views on vocational aptitude and interest:

“I’ve always considered myself inherently connected to this profession. I am tolerant towards people, I can understand them, and I can objectively evaluate their experiences with empathy and generate solutions. I’m able to do this not by imposing my solutions but by guiding them to realize these solutions on their own.” (Sevda).

Self-Determination in Terms of Vocational Identity

Aspiring prospective counsellors have approached their vocational identity development within the context of self-determination, relating this process to the fulfillment of their competency needs and their sense of a career calling. In the participants’ narratives, it is evident that as they find opportunities to apply their psychological counselling skills and observe increasing positive changes in their clients, their perception of being suited for this profession is significantly strengthened. These experiences stand out as fundamental, reinforcing not only prospective counsellors’ perceptions of professional competence but also their sense of belonging and meaning in the psychological counselling profession. Below are some examples of the candidates’ views on self-determination in terms of vocational ıdentity:

"I actually think that this profession is very suitable for me. Initially, during the first and second years, I didn't feel this way. However, as I became more involved in the practical components in the third and fourth years and began to see the change I could effect in others, I felt more suited to it. Especially during the practical assignments in the third and fourth years, and particularly after working with a client during the psychological counselling practice in the first term of the fourth year” (Onur).

Inadaptability

Some prospective counsellors have expressed that they experienced significant inadaptabilities in the process of establishing their vocational identity in the field of psychological counselling. These candidates have characterized the factors contributing to their perceived misalignment as vocational indecision and a lack of congruence with their abilities. Indeed, some participants described the skills they believed they possessed as not fully aligning with the role of psychological counselling, evaluating this situation as a fundamental factor complicating their professional identity development. Examples of the candidates’ perspectives on inadaptability are provided below:

“I’m not sure if it suits my abilities. Honestly, I found the courses a bit tedious over the four years because they were more focused on verbal skills. I think this is partly due to the fact that the school I graduated from had a more quantitative emphasis” (Nurcan).

The findings above have touched upon the subsidiary themes, codes, and quotes reached within the first theme. Additionally, the other theme conceptualized in this study is “Explorations on Factors Enhancing Career Adaptability in the Field of Counselling”. The theme of ‘discoveries related to factors that enhance career adaptability in the psychological counselling profession’ has been derived from four subsidiary themes, which include ‘personal and professional development, personality traits, structuring of undergraduate education and socio-cultural factors in vocational terms.

Personal and Professional Development

Prospective counsellors have emphasized that one of the fundamental elements supporting career adaptability in the field of psychological counselling is personal and professional development. Participants’ narratives reveal that career adaptability is not experienced as a passive adaptation process, but rather as an active process constructed through self-discovery, structuring one's professional identity, and engaging with the field. In this context, participants stated that strategies such as self-exploration, having experience by working in the field, making application, and postgraduate education strengthened their career adaptability. These statements indicate that career adaptability is based on the simultaneous development of personal awareness and professional competence, and that candidates perceive their careers as a long-term, ongoing development process. Below are examples of the candidates’ views on personal and professional development:

“First, I think I need to become aware of myself. My interests, weaknesses, strengths. For instance, I want to work in a courthouse but I might not be able to handle the cases there, so I need to understand this. I need to see which part of my personality suits where. Maybe if I work with children, children will be better for me. I mean, I might need to see these through interest-aptitude tests or a career inventory” (Aysel).

Structuring of Undergraduate Education

Participant narratives suggest that adapting the curriculum to meet the current requirements of the profession and conducting education with fewer students, rather than in crowded classrooms, enhances the sense of professional competence and career-related confidence. In this context, undergraduate education has been described as a field that extends beyond the transfer of theoretical knowledge; it is an area where students can develop professionally, gain experience, and establish a clearer direction for their careers. The participants’ emphasis on this point suggests that educational arrangements serve as a crucial contextual resource in the development of career adaptability. Examples of the candidates’ views on the structuring of undergraduate education are provided below:

“I am taking this short-term and solution-focused class, and I really liked the seating arrangement. For the first time in my fourth year, I am taking such a class. We sit face to face. We can look at each other and ask questions; there are only 30 of us in the class, and the instructor can take everyone's opinion individually. Even in three hours, there is enough time for this. For example, if we don’t understand something, at least we think about it in class; information isn’t just thrown at us, we make comments, we use our own minds. We are not robots there. We are different from ants just coming and going; this is what I would have liked to see throughout my educational life” (Süleyman).

Social-Cultural Factors in Vocational Terms

Participants who will work as psychological counsellors in the future emphasized that one of the essential factors supporting career adaptability is how professional identity is positioned within the sociocultural context. In the participants’ narratives, the profession's prestige in society, the provision of autonomy in professional practice, and the existence of structural support for the profession at the political level emerged as key elements that strengthen career adaptability. In this context, participant statements indicate that career adaptability is not limited to individual competencies; the profession is also supported by sociopolitical conditions, which determine counselling candidates’ perceptions of adaptability regarding their professional future. Here are some examples of the candidates’ views on social-cultural factors in vocational terms:

"The PDR (Psychological Counselling and Guidance) profession could be suitable for me if the current policies were not so restrictive, just limited to the guidance services by the regulations. I believe that this profession should not be so simply reduced. The more I think about it, the more I feel that after all the hard work and high scores it took to get here, this department deserves at least as much recognition as law or medical schools, if not more. We should be provided with a workspace, an area of freedom to practice our profession. Of course, there are limitations and restrictions at the moment” (Onur).