ICEGS Annual Lecture 2024

Counselling Socially Disadvantaged Clients

Gudbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir, Professor Emerita, University of Iceland and Professor at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Although research and daily experience show that social variables are decisive in career development, they remain underrepresented in the research field of counselling and guidance, which often focuses on psychological variables. Guidance services have expanded from schools to a more general adult population, particularly low-skilled workers in precarious labour market positions, requiring counsellors to adapt their methods. Blustein’s psychology of working theory and Bourdieu’s habitus theory place social variables at the centre of career development, critiquing the notion of free will that dominates traditional theories.

In this lecture, the presenter will share research findings that demonstrate how social class and gender influence career choices. For example, studies show that leisure activities and habitus shape occupational preferences and aspirations among 16-year-olds and young adults. Another study based on Blustein’s theory reveals that low-skilled youth feel less control over their futures, with aspirations limited by social constraints.

There will also be a discussion about how the Career Construction Interview (CCI), a narrative-based method, helps disadvantaged clients by combining micro-narratives into an empowering macro-narrative supported by case examples from research on low-skilled women. Finally, the Bourdieusian concepts of socio-analysis and habitus will be explored for their potential use in enriching the analysis of career stories in counselling.

Recording of Annual Lecture 2024

Annual Lecture Counselling Socially Disadvantaged Clients

Professor Guðbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir

Biography

Guðbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir is a Professor Emerita of Career Guidance and Counselling in the Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology, and Folkloristics at the University of Iceland, and a professor at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. She is a leading expert in career development, with extensive research on narrative career counselling, career adaptability, and the influence of gender on career choices. Her work includes major projects on the social aspects of career decision-making and contributions to the development of a psychometric tool for measuring career adaptability. Since 2017, she has been part of a UNESCO research group studying low-qualified youth and has co-developed a narrative analysis method in career counselling. Guðbjörg's work has significantly impacted both academic research and practical approaches to career education.

Guðbjörg plays a prominent role in advancing the field of career guidance at an international level. As a board member of the European Society for Vocational Design and Counselling, she promotes cutting-edge research and supports doctoral training in career development. She also serves on the editorial board of Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle, the leading French journal in career counselling research. In 2017, Guðbjörg was elected to the board of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, the world’s foremost organisation in career guidance, where she held the position of Vice-President, shaping global policies and practices in the profession.