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Career Theory and Practice
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Career Theory and Practice
Learning Through Case Studies

Fourth Edition


October 2019 | 312 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Career Theory and Practice: Learning Through Case Studies illustrates the process, theories, and application of career development counseling through a series of rich case studies integrated throughout the text. Authors Jane L. Swanson and Nadya A. Fouad use this case study approach to highlight the similarities and differences between the featured theories, as well as to illustrate proper technique and application. The fully revised Fourth Edition reflects a major reorganization of foundational material to highlight the importance of ethical practice, updates to all theory chapters, and the addition of two new chapters discussing recent theories.
 
List of Tables and Figures
 
List of Additional Cases
 
Acknowledgments
 
PART I • FOUNDATIONS
 
Chapter 1 • Career Counseling: An Overview
Purpose of the Book

 
Work and Career Counseling

 
Changing World of Work

 
Definition and Types of Theories

 
Clarifying Distinctions Between Theories and Theoretical Orientations

 
Developing Hypotheses and a “Working Model” of the Client

 
Organization of the Book

 
Summary

 
 
Chapter 2 • Ethics for Career Professionals
NCDA (2015) Code of Ethics

 
Ethical Decision Making

 
Ethical Vignettes

 
 
Chapter 3 • Career Interventions in Different Settings
Career Interventions in Schools

 
Career Interventions in Higher Education

 
Career Interventions in Community Settings

 
Professional Challenges

 
 
Chapter 4 • Cultural Contexts and Career Counseling
Culturally Responsive Career Counseling

 
Fouad and Kantamneni’s Three-Dimensional Model

 
Practical Implications

 
Multicultural Career Counseling Tenets

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 5 • The Case of Leslie
Presenting Issue

 
Career and Work History

 
Family Information

 
Marital Information

 
Leslie’s Expectations for Career Counseling

 
Initial Impressions of Leslie

 
Conceptualizing Leslie from Various Theoretical Approaches

 
 
Chapter 6 • Testing and Assessment
The Use of Assessment in Career Counseling

 
Selection of Assessment

 
Types of Assessment

 
Assessment of Other Constructs

 
Other Types of Assessment

 
Interpreting Career Assessment

 
Leslie’s Assessment Information

 
Working With Leslie’s Case and Assessment Information

 
 
PART II • THEORIES
 
Chapter 7 • Holland’s Theory of Vocational Personalities and Work Environments
Introductory Review

 
Applying Holland’s Theory

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 8 • The Theory of Work Adjustment
Introductory Review

 
Applying the Theory of Work Adjustment

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 9 • Super’s Developmental Theory
Introductory Review

 
Applying Developmental Theory

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 10 • Gottfredson’s Theory of Circumscription and Compromise
Introductory Review

 
Applying Gottfredson’s Theory

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 11 • Social Cognitive Career Theory
Introductory Review

 
Applying Social Cognitive Career Theory

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 12 • Career Construction Theory and Life Designing Paradigm
Introductory Review

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 13 • Psychology of Working Theory
Changing Assumptions About Work/Career

 
Introductory Review

 
Applying Psychology of Working Theory

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
PART III • APPLICATIONS
 
Chapter 14 • Information About the World of Work
Classification Systems

 
Sources of Occupational Information

 
How to Use Occupational Information in Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 15 • The Intersection of Career and Noncareer Issues
Career and Noncareer Issues

 
Implications for Career Counseling

 
Applying Career–Noncareer Frameworks

 
Directions and Implications for Career Counseling

 
Additional Cases

 
 
Chapter 16 • Summary and Integration
Summary and Comparison of the Theories

 
Integrating Theoretical Perspectives

 
The Case of George

 
Summary

 
The Case of Tom

 
The Case of Sharon

 
Evaluation of the Major Theories

 
Revisiting Counselor Cognitions

 
Parting Words

 
 
References
 
Index
 
About the Authors

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site

study.sagepub.com/swanson4e

Password-protected Instructor Resources include the following: 

  • Editable, chapter-specific Microsoft® PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course.
  • Test banks provide a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity to edit any question and/or insert your own personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.
  • Class activities offer lively and stimulating ideas for practical application of the concepts. Activities include case information to complete “tasks” and can apply to individual or group projects, in and out of class.

“The use of a client throughout the textbook sets Career Theory and Practice apart from other books. It fosters in-depth exploration into the application of theories and concepts of career counseling. It also hits on critical student learning, including understanding the current trends in work and its intersection with multiple populations. It educates students how to approach clients in a culturally responsive manner to maximize client outcomes.”

Carol Balk
Chatham University

The use of the case examples throughout Career Theory and Practice helps to bring the content to life. The order of the chapters is much better than other texts and the material is much more succinct than other texts. The summaries at the end of each chapter also provide a study guide for students.”

David Ford Jr.
James Madison University

Career Theory and Practice provides a good framework to make the theoretical context practical. I like how this text makes career counseling ‘real’ for the readers.”

Elbert Mackenzie Shell
Clark Atlanta University

Career Theory and Practice by Jane L. Swanson and Nadya A. Fouad has great practical, real-world application through the use of case-studies…Excellent resource.”

Kathleen Woods
Chadron State College

Career Theory and Practice is straightforward, readable, and quite handy. Highly recommended for work with adults that are entering the world of work for the first time, or for adults that are going through transitions.”

Bradley Janey
Marywood University

It was very approachable for students and easy to understand. I loved the integration of multiple case studies and the long-term case study across the book.

Dr Lindsey Warwick
Psychology, Southern Oregon University
October 27, 2023

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