The overall research and development agenda for exploring the impact of career development and mental health in school settings has 5 phases. The first two phases have been completed, and we are now ready to seek partnerships and funding to pursue Phase 3 of the program through a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. We also see pursuing SSHRC Insight Grants to further the work of Phase 3, and to serve as the launch pad for Phases 4 and 5 (which are briefly described later).

Phase 1

Review of the Literature

For the past year, we have invested in an extensive review of the literature, focusing on determining connections between career development and mental health/wellbeing. This included an exploration of the impact of both explicit and implicit career development interventions. Other topics, such as career development and mental illness, work and mental illness, work and mental health/wellbeing, ethics and career development and the evaluation of mental health/wellbeing outcomes in career development contexts were also explored.

Phase 2

Practitioner Workshop

A workshop to help career development practitioners develop interventions with the purpose of impacting client mental health was developed. Research data indicate that career development practitioners are largely unaware of the relationships between career development and mental health and methods by which they can improve these relationships. The workshops increased this awareness considerably and provided ethical approaches to practice that fall within career development practitioners’ boundaries of competence as well as within role boundaries.

Phase 3

Career Development Interventions to Support Youth Mental Health

There is compelling evidence that youth are facing unprecedented levels of mental health issues. Much attention has been paid to increasing access to counselling and mental health services for students. In addition to the provision of reactive, emergency care for students in distress, it is our hypothesis that a proactive approach to foster individual and personal meaning, connection and commitment is necessary for effective mental health promotion among youth.

Phase 4

Career Development Interventions to Support Youth Mental Health in the Allied Health Professions

There is a significant career development knowledge and practice gap among professionals within the allied health professions, particularly among mental health practitioners. There is a clear need to educate mental health professionals about the connections between career development and mental health.

Phase 5

Comprehensive Career Development Policy Frameworks

In June of 2019, the 9th International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy was held in Norway. The theme of the 9th Symposium was to explore “how governments can support citizens to build fulfilling careers (retrieved from https://www.iccdpp.org/#, August 26, 2019). Since 2004, the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP) has maintained a database of effective career development policy frameworks in a variety of countries around the world. One of the key findings of the ICCDPP is that career development impacts are more likely to be sustained if the work is embedded within sound policy frameworks at all levels: school, district, province and nation. We would see the development of strong evidence-informed policies as the culmination of the research agenda; with practices enshrined in policy, the likelihood of generalization to the broadest possible audiences are greatly increased.

References

Hiebert, B., & Magnusson, K. (2014). The power of evidence: Demonstrating the value of career development services. In B. Shepard & P. Mani (Eds.), Career Development Practices in Canada: Perspectives, Principles and Professionalism. 489-530. Toronto, ON: Canadian education and Research Institute for Counselling.

Magnusson, K., & Hiebert, B. (2016). Determining the impact of counselling interventions. In N. Gazzola, M. Buchanan, O. Sutherland and S. Nuttgens (Eds.) Canadian Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy. 227-246.  Ottawa: Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

Patton, M.Q. (2011). Developmental evaluation: Applying complexity concepts to enhance innovation and use. New York: Guilford Press.

Redekopp, D.E. (2018, January). The case for career development improving mental health. Cannexus 2018 Career Development Conference. Ottawa, On.