The interconnected aspects of career development and mental health posits career as a central feature of human functioning. The Indivisible Self Model of Wellness (Myers & Sweeney, 2008) views career and work as interrelated domains of Wellness. A perceived lack of control within career and work exacerbates existing challenges in several domains of people's lives. Focusing on enhancing agency within the realm of career and work is imperative within counseling and psychological practice.
Cognitive Information Processing (CIP; Sampson et al., 2023) accounts for the complexity of career concerns and diminished volition by enhancing agency in career decision making and problem solving which can remedy career uncertainty. CIP theory's emphasis on promoting agency makes for an ideal match for the current moment of increased anxiety and uncertainty resulting from the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and sociopolitical factors impacting career and work. CIP's focus on empowerment through developing decision making, problem solving, and information processing skills has been shown to positively impact career thinking and improve mental health (Osborn et al., 2016). CIP provides a structure through the Pyramid of Information Processing and the CASVE cycle to effectively navigate present and future career concerns. The current state of work, threats to agency within career development, associated research supporting this approach, and specific CIP-based assessments (e.g., Career Thoughts Inventory) and interventions (e.g., cognitive restructuring) designed to enhance agency will be discussed.