A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Individual Career Counseling on Career and Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

This article reports on the results of the first meta-analysis on the effectiveness of individual career counseling. This random-effects meta-analysis included 35 independent samples that produced a weighted mean effect size of g = 0.82 for career outcomes and g = 0.68 for mental health outcomes. These effect sizes were heterogeneous across samples. Categorical meta-regressions indicated that five intervention components significantly predicted career counseling effects on career or mental health outcomes. These five components are psychoeducation concerning the decision process, cognitive restructuring, written exercises (occupational analyses), individualized feedback on career choice, and attention to decreasing potential obstacles. Our results suggest that individual career counseling can be a valuable mental health intervention when clients’ mental health difficulties are intertwined with career concerns. They also highlight the importance that individual career counseling incorporates the five critical intervention components identified in this study to foster positive career or mental health outcomes.