PROBLEMS EXPRESSED BY CAREER AND NON-CAREER HELP SEEKERS - A COMPARISON

Students seeking help at a university counseling center were asked to mark on a problem checklist what type of career, educational, personal, or social problems they experienced at the time. Few differences in endorsement were found between counseling center help seekers with career concerns and counseling center help seekers without career concerns, but both types of help seekers indicated concerns with study habits, emotional distress, and relationships. These issues also significantly correlated with help seekers' degree of clarity and stability of career goals. When compared with non-help-seeking students, significantly more help seekers with career concerns indicated worrying about issues concerning emotional distress, decision making, independence, and eating problems. Suggestions regarding conceptualizations of career problems as well as career guidance are offered.