Counseling Adults in Career Transition: Reflections of a Counselor-in-Training

The following is a description of the experiences of a counselor-in-training at the University of Missouri–Columbia Career Center. The Career Center at the University of Missouri–Columbia serves a wide variety of clients ranging from 16-year-old high school students needing help on deciding on a college major to sixty-year-old adults seeking to make a major career transition. This diversity of clients and their needs is illustrated through case examples and it is suggested that the holistic model of career counseling that is taught at the University of Missouri Career Center is appropriate for these clients. What is also described through case examples is how counselors-in-training in settings such as career centers may benefit from additional training outside of what is normally taught in graduate level career development courses.