Promoting healthy transition from college to work market throughout seminars: the building of the therapeutic relationship

Abstract

This communication presents a specialized preventive career intervention – the Career Self-Management Seminar (CSMS; Taveira et al., 2006 – forms A and B). This intervention is designed to promote graduate students’ transition to Master and PHD degrees and/or to the work-market (version A); or the transition to a new job/position of PHD students and research grant holders (version B). Both versions of the Seminar promote self-reflection and career exploration, and life-career decision-making and planning skills, in the context of group career counselling sessions. Special attention is given to the building of a solid and strong helping relationship. The focus on the quality of the counselling relationship is associated with the concern of promoting positive emotional attachment, necessary to students engagement in career exploration and change; and also, to prevent clients’ drop out from the seminar (e.g., Taveira, 1997; Gelso & Cárter, 1985; Horvath & Luborsky, 1993; Horvath, 2000). The clients’ reactions to CSMS helping relationship were measured twice along the intervention A with 36 undergraduates (12 men and 24 women, mean age=22,89), and the intervention B with 34 graduates (11 men and 23 women, mean age=27,59). The quality of the career exploration process of participants was also observed in both groups, before and after the intervention (pre and post-test moments). A brief analysis and discussion of these results is presented.