The effect of reality therapy-based career counselling psychoeducation programme on secondary school students

A career encompasses an individual's entire journey of discovering a profession and is not confined to the selection of a specific job. It is shaped by the skills and achievements gained throughout a person's life. This study evaluated the effect of the Reality Therapy-Focused Career Counselling Psychoeducation Programme (RTFCCPP), which was developed for high school students, on career commitment and levels of depression, anxiety and stress. The study used a semi-experimental design involving a pre-test, a post-test, a follow-up test and a control group. A sample of 20 11th-grade students was used for the research: 10 students were included in the experimental group and 10 in the control group. The experimental group received the RTFCCPP in a group setting from the researcher once a week for five sessions in total. Data were collected using the Career Commitment Scale (CAS) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were applied to analyse the effect of the RTFCCPP. The results revealed that the RTFCCPP increased career commitment and reduced levels of depression, anxiety and stress among high school students. These findings were discussed in light of the relevant literature and various recommendations were developed. Keywords: Career Counselling, Reality Therapy, Psychoeducation Program