More and more pupils feel stressed about choosing a course or a profession. How does choice stress arise, and how do you help pupils through it?
Choice stress is a real problem among young people. The pressure to make the 'right' choice is high, and the consequences of a wrong one seem enormous.
Where does choice stress come from?
- Too many options with nothing to hold on to
- Social pressure from parents and peers
- The feeling that one choice decides everything
- Not enough self-knowledge to be able to choose
What helps?
Structure helps. Guiding pupils step by step, from self-knowledge to exploration to choice, takes away the sense of being overwhelmed.
Tools that help pupils understand themselves better lower the threshold for choosing. They make the process more concrete and less abstract.
Your role
As a counsellor you can make choice stress normal. Show that doubt is part of the process, and that a choice can always be adjusted later.