ABSTRACT
Vocational psychology within the profession of counseling psychology suffers from the Rodney Dangerfield neurosis: “I get no respect.” Career counseling has consistently been rated by students as the least desirable type of counseling requiring the least skills (Fitzgerald & Osipow, 1986; Hepner, O’Brien, Hinkelman, & Flores, 1996; Pinkney & Jacobs, 1985). On many university campuses personal counseling is provided by doctoral-level psychologists, many of whom are licensed. Career counseling, however, is more often provided by masters-level counselors and sometimes by counselors with no more than a bachelors degree. The organizational hierarchy places career counselors at a lower point on the pecking order than personal counselors. Personal counseling is often performed under medical auspices (with the prestige that the medical profession brings with it), whereas career counseling is administered by the student services office. The two organizations are often housed in different facilities and may have relatively little contact with each other.
