A consensual qualitative research methodology was used to analyze the career counseling cases of 12 noted vocational psychologists to identify common themes and factors. The findings indicated that the career counseling described by these experts often involved the same counseling or helping skills found in personal counseling or psychotherapy. Furthermore, these experts indicated that their career counseling had a theoretical foundation, and many of them discussed using both formal and informal assessments as a part of the process. In the majority of cases, the clinicians were sensitive to social-contextual factors and incorporated interventions related to issues of race and ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In responding to career counseling cases, the experts also indicated they would explore relational influences on career decision making with a focus on influences of the client’s family of origin. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
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