A Narrative Approach to Career Assessment with People with Vulnerabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Life Design

Nowadays, promoting quality lives for people who experience forms of vulnerability means considering a range of conditions that heavily threaten the present and future of all humanity. Among these vulnerabilities, we consider the increase in forms of social injustice, and the spread of atypical and precarious forms of work that have induced transformations in jobs, with profound consequences, especially for people experiencing difficulties. The future, thus, can be clouded by the lack of opportunities and many forms of associated discrimination. In this way, narrative career counselling becomes increasingly significant for people with and without vulnerabilities in facilitating the imagination of possible and desirable futures. It may be useful to work through a narrative approach on aspects such as the propensity to an inclusive and sustainable career, the right to decent work, and the courage to consider systemic challenges to achieve sustainable development. This chapter describes some narrative procedures that career counsellors can apply with people with vulnerabilities to holistically prepare clients for future career development and ensure the growth and well-being of all and the building of better futures.