Negative career outlook and the working alliance in career counseling

The present study investigated three dimensions of the working alliance—Goal, Task, and Bond —and the reduction of negative career-related thoughts. A pre-test post-test design revealed a significant reduction in negative career thoughts after an initial career counseling interview provided to N = 87 college students. Regression analysis revealed that Task predicted negative career thoughts. The findings offer evidence of the effectiveness of career counseling and of the contribution of working alliance to counseling as a process and outcome variable