Research on career counseling has largely focused on counseling processes and average intervention outcomes. Yet clients seeking counseling differ widely in their initial difficulties, motivations, and goals, which may shape how they benefit from career interventions.
This study aimed to identify distinct client profiles among individuals seeking career counseling and to examine how these profiles are associated with change in career indecision and psychological distress across the course of counseling. Data were collected from clients at a community-based career counseling center. Participants completed measures of career indecision (Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire; CDDQ), counseling goals (Career Counseling Goals Assessment; CCGA), and psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale; K10) at the beginning and end of counseling. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify subgroups of clients based on their initial levels of indecision. Reliable and clinically significant change indices were calculated to evaluate the meaningfulness of change from the beginning to the end of counseling. Findings revealed that all seven main career indecision types identified by Levin et al. (2024) were represented among career counseling clients. Profiles differed in their initial goals and distress levels. Across profiles, most clients demonstrated meaningful reductions, particularly in career indecision, with many reaching thresholds of reliable and clinically significant improvement. Reductions in psychological distress were also observed, though to a lesser extent. These findings highlight the importance of considering client heterogeneity when evaluating career counseling interventions. By integrating client profiles with outcome data, this study underscores the value of tailoring counseling to individual needs and moving beyond average treatment effects in intervention research.


Keywords: Career counseling, Intervention research, Career indecision, Psychological distress, Latent profile analysis