ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an approach to career counselling based on contextual action theory, a conceptual approach and method that has been the centre of my work with colleagues for over 20 years. Contextual action theory (CAT) identifies three systems of action, namely, actions in the present moment, actions constructed as mid-term projects and projects constructed as long-term career. CAT emerges from a substantial tradition in psychology that looks to explain human behaviour by understanding its goals rather than its causes. The approach to constructivist career counselling presented in this chapter focuses specifically on the notion of goal-directed action as both the basis for a conceptual framework for counselling and career and the basis for career counselling practice. Contextual action theory has the potential of incorporating more explicitly recent developments in neuropsychology and the cognitive science of embodied cognition, as well as providing more evidence on the effectiveness of the intervention.
