Vocational orientation allows the analysis of the interests, personality and competences of the individual, in order to provide indications regarding academic and professional path, as well as deepening a personal path. The choice for school path often occurs in the 9th year, that is, when the adolescent needs to decide which area to pursue: Socioeconomic Sciences, Science and Technology, Languages and Humanity or Visual Arts, or a professional path. After finishing the 12th year, it is necessary to decide whether to follow a professional and / or academic path. There are several psychological and personal reasons that intervene in vocational decisions, such as: intellectuality, vocational maturity, curiosity, interests, values, needs, self-concept and personality. It is very important that the choice process be balanced with knowledge about personal competences and interests, possibilities offered by education and training organizations, and the characteristics presented by each academic path.
How can vocational orientation help?
Vocational orientation is carried out during 5 sessions with a psychologist, with the purpose of clarifying doubts, providing information, assisting in the maturation of beliefs about the future, and evaluating competencies and school and professional skills. Thus, it enables the adolescent or adult to expand their knowledge about themselves, to find the most appropriate training method for themselves, and to investigate vocational and professional paths, in order to choose an academic and professional future appropriate to their needs, talents and vocations.
In particular, sessions include an initial vocational interview to analyse needs and expectations; an assessment, including different tests; and a final interview to provide the results and a final report.
Chapters in Scientific Books
von Humboldt, S., Rolo, J. & Leal, I. (2021). Psychological assessment. In D. Gu & M. E. Dupre (Eds.), Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging. (pp. 4023-4030). New York, NY: Springer, Cham. (View Details).
