Journal writing for enhancing career adaptability in vocational students: a clinical case study

This clinical case study investigates structured journal writing as an expressive therapeutic intervention to enhance career adaptability among vocational high school students facing complex transitional pressures. Grounded in career construction theory and expressive arts therapy frameworks, the research addresses critical gap in vocational guidance regarding emotional and narrative barriers to employment readiness. A single-subject clinical methodology was employed over a 12-week intervention period, utilizing Clinical observations, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews to track psychological shifts. qualitative thematic analysis revealed profound developments across the four dimensions of career adaptability, concern, Control, curiosity, and confidence, as participants transitioned from fragmented self-narratives to coherent professional identities. empirical findings demonstrate that intentional reflective writing protocols serve as a potent psychotherapeutic medium for reinterpreting career anxiety into proactive vocational engagement. Consequently, this study underscores the clinical relevance of integrating expressive writing within educational counseling to optimize psychosocial preparation for the workforce.