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Rebuilding a Career in a Conservative Context: A Case Study of Career Construction Counseling With a Transgender Individual

Journal of Employment Counseling

Published online on

Abstract

["Journal of Employment Counseling, Volume 63, Issue 1, Page 43-56, March 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis case study explores the applicability of Career Construction Counseling, grounded in Career Construction Theory, in supporting the career development of a transgender individual living in a conservative cultural context. The study focuses on how the counseling process shaped the participant's career goals and narrative identity. The research draws on in‐depth data to capture the subjective experiences of the participant—a middle‐aged, Muslim transgender individual employed in a service‐related industry, who had discontinued a prolonged job search 3 months prior to the intervention. Designed as an intrinsic, qualitative single‐case study, the research drew on three data sources: (a) the counsellor's session notes and reflexive journal, (b) H's pre‐ and postintervention Future Career Autobiographies, and (c) an evaluation form. The Career Construction Interview, role rehearsal, and Decisional Balance Sheet of Incentives operated as intervention tools. Data were analyzed with a reflexive thematic analysis and comparative narrative approach. Throughout the intervention, the participant engaged in a tailored counseling process based on the principles of Career Construction Counseling. The findings illustrate significant changes in the participant's career aspirations, identity reconstruction, and engagement with future possibilities. The findings also show a shift from stalled job search to renewed vocational agency, reconstruction of a coherent career‐life story that integrates gender and faith identities, adoption of concrete, future‐oriented action plans (e.g., targeted upskilling and networking), and increasing comfort in expressing themselves and being hopeful about career road. This study underscores the importance of culturally sensitive and identity‐affirming approaches in career counseling, particularly within contexts shaped by conservative social values. Directions for future research involve testing these adaptations across larger transgender samples and diverse cultural settings.\n"]