16 THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY MARCH 2017 • VOLUME 65
© 2017 by the National Career Development Association. All rights reserved.
An Individual Mixed-Evaluation
Method for Career Intervention
Philippe Jacquin and Jacques Juhel
Economic issues linked to career counseling are a cause for concern to policy makers
in developed countries because they expect career practitioners to provide evidence
of the efficiency of career counseling interventions. The aim of this study was to test
an individual evaluation method mixing time series (outcomes) and life narrative
(processes). The method used 5 items related to 1 client’s career decision self-efficacy
and studied the evolution of those items throughout the intervention of 1 career
counselor (43 days). Changepoint analysis helped in identifying the changes that
have to be taken into account for time series and which are contextualized in the
client’s verbatim analysis. This mixed method highlighted that the career coun-
selor’s intervention increased the client’s career decision self-efficacy. Practitioners
could use the methodology proposed in this article to evaluate their interventions.
They could also report their practice to clients, employers, and decision makers.
Keywords: effectiveness of career counseling, single-subject mixed design, time
series, life narrative, changepoint analysis, evidence-based practice
Careers have been affected by economic globalization for 3 decades.
Some workers previously in stable employment now have to deal with
professional insecurity (Kalleberg, 2009). The digital revolution has
questioned the traditional view of a linear career (Savickas, 2012). In
fact, the number of jobs during one’s professional life is proportional
to the number of professional transitions that a person undergoes. Con-
sequently, the demand for career counseling is increasing in developed
countries. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (2004a), economic issues linked to career counsel-
ing have become a cause for concern to policy makers in these nations.
As far as Europe is concerned, decision makers need to know whether
career counseling helps people to manage their careers efficiently (Plant,
2012). In other words, they expect practitioners to provide evidence
of the efficiency of career counseling interventions (Council of the
European Union, 2008).
Several North American meta-analyses have shown that career coun-
seling is efficient and effective (Brown & Ryan Krane, 2000; Oliver &
Spokane, 1988; Spokane & Oliver, 1983; Whiston, Sexton, & Lasoff,
1998). Research concerning the effectiveness of career counseling focuses
on its outcomes and processes (Whiston & Oliver, 2005). According to
the psychotherapy definition of Hill and Williams as cited in Heppner
Philippe Jacquin, Faculty of Education, University of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada;
Jacques Juhel, Psychology, Cognition and Communication Research Centre, University of
Rennes 2, Rennes, France. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Philippe Jacquin, Faculty of Education, University of Moncton, 18 Antonine-Maillet
Avenue, Moncton, New Brunswick, E1A-3E9, Canada (e-mail: jacquinphilippe@gmail.com).
Received 04/02/15
Revised 10/06/15
Accepted 10/07/15
DOI: 10.1002/cdq.12077