Employment Pathology in Undergraduate Counseling Graduates: A Qualitative StudyEmployment Pathology in Undergraduate Counseling Graduates: A Qualitative Study

Mohammad  Kahrabai Kalkhoran Olya; Zeinab Pendar

doi:10.18502/qjcr.v22i88.15456

Mohammad Kahrabai Kalkhoran Olya Master of Counseling, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Zeinab Pendar PhD in Counseling, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/qjcr.v22i88.15456

Keywords: : Employment pathology, counseling, undergraduate, shafiabadi multi-axis model, qualitative research

Abstract

Aim: The present study was conducted with the aim of employment pathology in undergraduate counseling graduates. Methods: The present study is qualitative and has been done by content analysis method. The study population was undergraduate counseling graduates in which 15 people were selected as a sample by targeted and snowball methods. Sampling continued until the data reached saturation. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. After the initial coding, the topics were analyzed and the categories were categorized. Findings: The analysis of the findings of the semi-structured interview led to the extraction of 2 main themes, 6 sub-themes and 23 sub-themes on employment challenges from 88 codes. The main themes are intrapersonal challenges and extrapersonal challenges; Intrapersonal challenges include two sub-themes: personality issues and cognitive issues, and interpersonal challenges include four sub-themes: economic issues, educational issues, socio-cultural issues, and professional issues. Conclusion: Findings obtained from the sub-themes of cognitive and personality issues show that it is important to know the different dimensions of the field of study at the time of choosing it and personality traits in choosing and finding a suitable job appropriate to their field of study. The results obtained from the sub-topics of external challenges also show that the unhealthy economic situation and livelihood problems on the failure to achieve a job commensurate with education, poor quality and non-practical education in the undergraduate course, lack of diversity in related jobs, the difficulty of the counseling profession and the time consumption are obstacles that make it difficult for graduates of this field at the undergraduate level to be employed in more suitable jobs.