Action without action planning: the potential of the Career Thinking Session in enabling transformational career learning and development

This paper examines the potential of the Career Thinking Session (CTS) model to career guidance and counselling practice with young people. A qualitative research study is presented, focusing on the case study of a client involved in the transition to higher education. The setting for the research is described and the origins of the CTS are critically evaluated in relation to a number of relevant strands from published literature. The interpretivist qualitative methodology taken is then presented. A case study of one client is then presented to highlight the particular application of the CTS model and its possible effectiveness as a tool for enabling agency, building confidence and establishing greater self-efficacy. The paper concludes with some insights into the ways in which critical thinking in relation to self and career development could be encouraged and supported through the use of the CTS.