The Guidance Room - Markus

Markus is 27 years old. He has been out of the workforce for a long time, has not completed school, and spends most of his time at home. This case illustrates situations where adults need support to rebuild confidence, explore meaningful opportunities, and take their first steps toward reconnecting with education or work.

About the Case

Markus is 27 years old. He has been out of the workforce for a long time, has not completed school, and spends most of his time at home. When he compares himself to others his age, he feels left behind and struggles to imagine a way forward. Earlier life events—including the death of his father, bullying at school, and periods of low motivation—continue to affect his confidence and sense of direction.

This case illustrates situations where adults need support to rebuild confidence, explore meaningful opportunities, and take their first steps toward reconnecting with education or work.

Structure of the Case

The case consists of four parts:

Background information about career guidance services for unemployed young adults in Norway.
Episode 1 introduces Markus and the situation he is navigating.
Episode 2 shows selected moments from his guidance process, including digital chat-based guidance and an in-person narrative exploration.
Thematic reflection questions for professional discussion.

Background: Career Guidance for Unemployed Young Adults in Norway

In Norway, unemployed adults may receive career guidance through the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav), public career centres (karrieresentre), or both.

Public career centres offer free guidance to residents of all ages. Services may include:
- support with educational and career choices
- insight into job opportunities and labour market transitions
- skills mapping and recognition of prior learning
- CV and application support
- digital guidance, group sessions and workshops

Nav provides guidance as part of broader employment and welfare services, supporting individuals in job seeking, qualification measures, and transitions into work or education.

The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) has a public website in Norwegian for information about education and work at Utdanning.no, and offers digital career guidance at Karriereveiledning.no, which is free and available to the entire population.

Purpose of the Case

The purpose of this case is to support reflection on:

how practitioners meet adults who experience long-term withdrawal from education or work
how digital and in-person guidance can each contribute to trust-building
how narrative approaches can support meaning-making after difficult life events
how to explore first steps and opportunities in a realistic, hopeful and structured way

The excerpts shown in the films represent short moments from longer processes and are intended to stimulate reflection, not to represent best practice.

Meet Markus

After watching episode 1

Take time to reflect together:

What career-related challenges is Markus experiencing?
What elements of Markus’s situation do you recognise from your practice?
How might long-term withdrawal influence his readiness for career learning?

Step into the Guidance Session with Markus

The three guidance moments focus on:

Digital Career Counseling
Narrative Method
Exploring Opportunities

After watching episode 2

Reflect together on the following:

What aspects of the digital and in-person sessions with Markus caught your attention?
How did the practitioner adapt between the two formats?
What else might have been explored in a longer process?
Which competence areas do you observe in the practitioner’s approach?

Career Guidance via Chat

Markus initially makes contact through chat and provides very short answers.

How does the practitioner work to build trust in the digital conversation?
What contributes to a good relational foundation in digital guidance settings?
Are there communication approaches or formulations that should be avoided?
How do you decide when to use emojis or symbols in chat-based guidance?
How do you mirror tone and language in digital communication, especially when a guidance seeker writes informally or briefly?

Trust in Guidance

Markus avoids eye contact and gives brief answers at first. Trust develops gradually.

What relational frameworks can support trust-building in an in-person session?
What methods does the practitioner use to help Markus feel safe?
What do you typically do to build trust with adults who are hesitant or withdrawn?
Should guidance seekers be encouraged to bring their “whole self” into the conversation?
Where are the boundaries for what belongs in career guidance?
To what extent are such boundaries influenced by the practitioner’s tolerance for strong emotions?

Ethical Boundaries in Career Guidance

The practitioner uses a narrative method, inviting Markus to explore earlier life experiences.

What ethical dilemmas can arise when using narrative or life-history approaches?
What limits should guide how deeply personal themes are explored?
Are topics such as grief or trauma appropriate to include? If so, how?
What other sensitive themes may require careful handling?
If you consider that the conversation is becoming too personal: How can boundaries be set respectfully?
How can you balance boundary-setting with acknowledging the guidance seeker’s experiences?

Exploring Opportunities

Markus expresses a desire to “get on track” and shows interest in helping others or working in collaborative roles—partly based on experiences from online gaming.

How do you explore early ideas and tentative wishes with adults who lack confidence?
Which approaches help turn vague interests into concrete first steps?
How do you support guidance seekers in linking informal experiences (e.g., gaming collaboration) to potential job opportunities?
How can first steps be identified in a way that feels realistic, achievable and hopeful?

Do you want to meet more guidance seekers?

Go back to The Guidance Room - Adults.