Student-initiated discussion topics in career counselling of adult immigrants

Through thematic analysis, this article examines how career counsellors working in an integration training programme for adult immigrants use power in their work with their counselees by influencing the content of career counselling discussions. The theoretical framework applied in this article is the non-decision-making theory by Bachrach and Baratz. This article draws on empirical data collected by video-recording career counselling discussions between counsellors and students. The findings show how career counsellors tend to limit discussion topics to those belonging to their pre-formulated structure and how the topics suggested by students tend to be dismissed, treated with less depth and accuracy, or ignored. The focus of the discussion is primarily on which educational or employment choices would best suit the student instead of worries or interests that the students also find relevant. This work discusses how the counsellor’s values appear to direct the discussions and what implications this may have for career counselling practices with migrants.