Having a career upon college graduation is absolutely necessary task for the purpose of personal growth and the enjoyment of fulfilled life. Christian career counseling to help Christian college students to prepare for, adjust in and maintain healthy ...
Having a career upon college graduation is absolutely necessary task for the purpose of personal growth and the enjoyment of fulfilled life. Christian career counseling to help Christian college students to prepare for, adjust in and maintain healthy career is not general career counseling, but a holistic process on the ground of Christian worldview and sense of calling based on the Scripture. The purpose of this study is to anchor essential values of young adults’ career counseling during the period of identity formation on Christian worldview, Christian view of humanity, and biblical view on vocation, so that one can execute one’s career counseling from the practical standpoint of faith to help Christian young adults to adjust in their society as healthy members.
Based on our research, we maintain that the essential purpose of Christian career counseling is ‘Change and growth for the purpose of Christian holistic maturity.’ For the purpose of the research, this researcher began by surveying theoretical concepts related to career and jobs from the Christian viewpoints, and proceeded to design a Christian career counseling model based on Thomas H. Groome’s educational model of Shared Praxis. Furthermore this research will develop a career counseling model for the Christian university students by collecting, analyzing, and investigating the contents of that counselors want to deal with in Christian career counseling. These data has been collected by having interviews with Christian university students. With collected data and developed model, this researcher will suggest practical direction in response to the result of research. Research process and contents are as follows:
In the introduction, it deals with the necessity of research, its contents, its purpose and its methodology, which all explains the overall development of this research. Chapter II categorizes theoretical concepts of career counseling for the purpose of exploring Christian career counseling for the Christian university students according to career development theory, identity theory, human need theory, and trait factor theory, which are all investigated, and then discusses the management system and forms of career counseling. This research anchors the essential values of Christian career counseling on Christian worldview, Christian view on humanity, biblical view on vocation, and then it discusses their characteristics from the Reformed theological point of view, which is creation, fall and redemption. This chapter examines the meaning of holistic being of Christians created according to the image of God, and the essential meaning of vocation based on the sense of calling. By exploring the integrated approach to counseling, which is at the point of contact between Christian counseling and secular career counseling, this research gave consideration to the meaning and methodology of Christian career counseling from the integrated point of view.
Chapter III examines the curriculum of Teaching and Learning model of Shared Praxis, which is necessary for the development of Christian career counseling, based on which it attempts to restructure the design model of Christian career counseling. Christian career counseling based on Shared Praxis is to emphasize the young adults’ task in career as a sanctification process in order to practice a balanced life between “knowledge and life” through the praxis, that is action-critical reflection-new action.
In Chapter IV this researcher, based on the needs data that have been collected from the Christian university students who have experienced in receiving career counseling, in order to develop a career counseling model for Christian university students, put into effect a Christian career counseling model. In order for it be in practice, this researcher suggests the direction of career counseling. For the purpose of approach of career counseling for Christian university students who are the main object of this study, this chapter also deals with main psychological characteristics of young adult, career task, purpose and contents of career counseling from the Christian point of view. Furthermore, it examines the contents and results of interviews with Christian university students, which were done in order to develop a career counseling model for Christian university students. Lastly, by basing Christian career counseling modules on the Shared Praxis model, it suggests programs for each term so that one can apply career counseling according to each module by restructuring it with introductory step, recognition step, transformation step, and application step.
Chapter V is a conclusion to research thesis by summarizing the thesis, added with conclusions, with limits of research and by offering additional research themes that would supplement this research for the future. Christian career counseling based on the Shared Praxis is a process in which it guides holistic change and growth with regard to the student’s career task, having accepted the overall context of Christian worldview on the program based on the Scripture. Therefore, the identity and role of a counselor is a very significant task. Furthermore, the development of career counseling program according to life developmental tasks and its application is a task that one needs to deal with in the practical field of Christian counseling. The academic approach of Christian career counseling based on Christian worldview, and integrated research on career counseling according to Christian reevaluation of secular academics are the tasks that are in need of development and complemented in the academic area of Christian counseling.