Calling and Vocation in Career Counseling

Recommendations for Promoting Meaningful Work

Dik, Bryan J.
Duffy, Ryan D.
Eldridge, Brandy M.

¹Colorado State University
²University of Maryland

Bryan J. Dik, A. G. Clark Building, Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523–1876 [email protected]

Bryan J. Dik is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University. His degrees are from Calvin College (BA, 1998) and the University of Minnesota (PhD in counseling psychology, 2005). His primary scholarly interests include vocational interests and basic and applied research on calling, vocation, meaningfulness, and purpose in the work role. He is coeditor of the forthcoming book The Psychology of Religion and Workplace Spirituality, and maintains a small individual practice specializing in vocational assessment and counseling.

Ryan D. Duffy is a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and is currently a predoctoral intern at the University of Delaware’s Center for Counseling and Student Development. He received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College and master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests are broadly in the area of vocational psychology, and he has published on topics related to work values, job satisfaction, research productivity, and the interface of spirituality and career development.

Brandy M. Eldridge is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Colorado State University, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Her research interests focus predominantly on meaningful work and the use of career assessments in counseling. She is specializing in vocational assessment and counseling, with a particular focus on the developmental career concerns of college students.

Submission September 8, 2008. Revision January 23, 2009. Accepted January 26, 2009.

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 40(6):p 625-632, December 2009.

Clients presenting with career-related concerns often desire a greater sense of meaning in their work. Therefore, incorporating the constructs of calling and vocation into the career counseling process may have utility. An overview of conceptual and empirical work on these constructs is provided. Drawing from recent integrated definitions of calling and vocation, the authors present suggestions for incorporating these constructs in practice. Counselors are encouraged to explore the extent to which clients feel a transcendent summons to a particular career, the extent to which clients’ careers bring meaning to their lives, and the extent to which clients’ careers serve society. For clients who wish to view their career as a calling or vocation, the authors provide strategies to help bring meaning and social purpose to their work lives.