Undergraduate and graduate students enroll in rehabilitation counselor education programs with varying degrees of commitment to a career goal in the field. The career decision state (CDS) comprising certainty, satisfaction, and clarity is a snapshot of one’s career goals. It is bidimensional, differentiates between undergraduate and graduate rehabilitation counseling students, and is associated with negative career thinking. Implications for using CDS in the form of a brief questionnaire, in student orientation and ongoing advising, and in future research are discussed.
BeckA. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York, NY: International Universities Press.
2.
BertochS. C.ReardonR. C.LenzJ. G.PetersonG. W. (2014). Goal instability in relation to career thoughts, decision state, and performance in a career course. Journal of Career Development, 41, 104–121. doi:10.1177/0894845313482521
3.
Bullock-YowellE.KatzS. P.ReardonR. C.PetersonG. W. (2012). The roles of negative career thinking and career problem solving self-efficacy in career exploratory behavior. The Professional Counselor, 2, 102–114.
4.
Bullock-YowellE.PetersonG. W.ReardonR. C.LeiererS. J.ReedC. A. (2011). Relationships among career and life stress, negative career thoughts, and career decision state: A cognitive information processing perspective. Career Development Quarterly, 59, 302–314. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2011.tb00071.x
5.
DonnayC. A. C.MorrisM. L.SchaubhutN. A.ThompsonR. C. (2004). Strong Interest Inventory manual: Research, development, and strategies for interpretation. Mountain View, CA: Consulting Psychology Press.
6.
GorsuchR. L. (1983). Factor analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
7.
HollandJ. L.GottfredsonG. D.NafzigerD. H. (1975). Testing the validity of some theoretical signs of vocational decision-making ability. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 411–422.
8.
HollandJ. L.GottfredsonD.PowerP. (1980). Some diagnostic scales for research in decision-making and personality: Identity, information, and barriers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 1191–1200.
9.
HollandJ. L.HollandJ. E. (1977). Vocational indecision: More evidence and speculation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 24, 404–414. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.24.5.404
10.
LeiererS. J.BlackwellT. L.StrohmerD. C.ThompsonR. C.DonnayD. A. C. (2008). The newly Revised Strong Interest Inventory: A profile interpretation for rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 51, 76–84. doi:10.1177/0034355207311342
11.
LeiererS. J.StrohmerD. C.BlackwellT. L.ThompsonR. C.DonnayD. A. C. (2008). The Rehabilitation Counselor Scale: A new scale for the Revised Strong Interest Inventory. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 51, 68–75. doi:10.1177/0034355207311341
12.
LerkkanenJ. (2002). The relationship between dysfunctional educational and career thoughts, and the success of polytechnic studies and the students’ need for guidance. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64(04), 796C.
PortneyL. G.WatkinsM. P. (1993). Foundations of clinical research. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
15.
ReardonR. C.MelvinB.McCainM.-C.PetersonG. W.BowmanJ. (in press). The career course as an important factor leading to college graduation. Journal of College Student Retention.
16.
SampsonJ. P.Jr.PetersonG. W.LenzJ. G.ReardonR. C.SaundersD. E. (1996a). Career Thoughts Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
17.
SampsonJ. P.Jr.PetersonG. W.LenzJ. G.ReardonR. C.SaundersD. E. (1996b). Career Thoughts Inventory manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
18.
SampsonJ. P.Jr.PetersonG. W.LenzJ. G.ReardonR. C.SaundersD. E. (1996c). Improving your career thoughts: A workbook for the Career Thoughts Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
19.
SampsonJ. P.Jr.PetersonG. W.ReardonR. C.LenzJ. G. (2000). Using readiness assessment to improve career services: A cognitive information processing approach. Career Development Quarterly, 49, 146–174. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2000.tb00556.x
20.
SlaneyR. B. (1978). Expressed and inventoried vocational interests: A comparison of instruments. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 25, 520–529. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.25.6.520
21.
SlaneyR. B. (1980). Expressed vocational choice and vocational indecision. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 27, 122–129. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.27.2.122
22.
SlaneyR. B.StaffordM.RussellJ. (1981). Career indecision in adult women: A comparative and descriptive study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 19, 335–345. doi:10.1016/0001-8791(81)90068-3
23.
WalkerJ. V.PetersonG. W. (2012). Career thoughts, indecision, and depression: Implications for mental health assessment in career counseling. Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 1–10. doi:10.1177/1069072712450010
24.
ZenerT. B.SchnuelleL. (1972). An evaluation of the Self-Directed Search (Research Rep. No. 124). Baltimore, MD: Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 061 458)
