The analysis of significant moments (SM) in counseling highlights critical events that influence the trajectory of client change, either positively or negatively (Pivolusková et al., 2021). This study explores participants' perspectives on significant moments during Career Construction Counseling (CCC). The sample comprised 24 adults (66.7% women; age range = 18-57 years, M = 26.5, SD = 9.5) recruited from a university career service. Outcome measures—career adaptability, vocational identity, and well-being—were collected at pre-test (T1), post-test (T2), and three-month follow-up (T3). The process assessment used the Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT; Elliott, 1993), in which clients provided qualitative accounts of significant moments in each session. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t tests, Pearson's r for effect sizes, and bootstrap procedures with 1,000 iterations to improve variance homogeneity. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. Results revealed significant improvements from T1 to T2 in career adaptability, vocational identity, and life satisfaction, with most gains maintained at T3. Eleven themes were identified in participants' reports, with the most frequent involving support for career problem formulation, exploration of personal experience, development of an interpersonal bond, and the emergence of a new perspective on the self or context. Findings support the effectiveness of CCC in promoting vocational identity, career adaptability, and life satisfaction. Moreover, the significant moments most often reported reinforce the role of CCC in fostering new meanings about self and career, with the interpersonal bond emerging as a key element in supporting meaning-making and the development of new career plans. Future research should involve larger and more diverse samples, explore cultural influences, and examine the predictive value of significant moments in the counseling process.


Keywords: career construction counseling; career adaptability; vocational identity