Contract Work

Time Constraints

Time on task is a major concern. The reality is that most career services providers, especially in college settings, are very busy with many noncounsehng job responsibilities and unable to sufficiently provide the comprehensive individual career counseling required to meet the needs of their clients. Department meetings, administrative responsibilities such as report writing and budget preparation, orientation and [Page 1517]registration activities, academie advising, classroom presentations, and teaching career exploration courses take time and effort, and can detract from concentrative in-depth individual counseling interventions. Even in those college and agency settings where more time might be available for individual counseling, very small percentages of counselors are able to provide the 9 to 10 sessions normally required for effective career interventions.

Client Demand

Another factor that deters counselors from providing individual counseling relates to the large client demand evident at most postsecondary institutions and agency settings. Secondary school students' needs for career guidance remain largely unmet, and they bring their unmet needs to the college environment, contributing to the estimated half of all undergraduates in colleges and universities who need some form of career assistance. As calls for accountability increase from multiple stakeholders and more colleges and agencies utilize important needs assessment and outcomes research, the evidence of unmet needs will be further documented resulting in more pressure on staff to produce better results.

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