ABSTRACT
Vocational psychology is defined as the “application of psychological principles to the problems of vocational choice, selection and training” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). The field is embedded within the discipline of counseling psychology. Vocational psychologists study work decisions across the age spectrum, and help people make work-related decisions from how to choose an initial career, to managing career or work changes, to planning for retirement. Vocational psychologists are interested in how individuals make decisions or adjust to a work environment, with the emphasis on the individual rather than on the organizational level. The specialty dates back to 1909, when Frank Parsons set up the Breadwinners Institute to help working-class boys in Boston develop career plans by matching their interests to available work (Parsons, 1909). Vocational psychology flourished throughout the twentieth century as vocational psychologists were called upon to help develop Work Project Administration programs during the Depression, help World War Two veterans returning to a civilian workforce, and help develop programs to build a strong technical workforce to counter Soviet dominance. But with the emerging emphasis in the 1980s of insurance reimbursement programs that did not pay for career counseling, and an increased emphasis of counseling psychology on a broad range of clinical services, vocational psychology began to have less and less of an influence in counseling psychology. This chapter will focus on the current state of the profession of vocational psychology, highlighting vocational psychology relative to other disciplines and the position of vocational psychology within counseling psychology. We will discuss education and training of vocational psychologists and the settings and challenges of the various professional services that vocational psychologists provide. Finally, we will discuss the state of vocational psychology research, particularly the opportunities and challenges for funding such research.
