Self-Application of the CCP Model among Socio-Labor Counseling Professionals: Evaluation of the Impact on Their Careers and Social Sustainability Actions

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of the professional career construction model (CCP) on the professional practice of counselors and the social sustainability actions put into play in their professional performance. A mixed methodology featuring a predominantly qualitative approach is used to examine the employment situation and professional development of this group. Forty-eight socio-labor counselors from the autonomous community of Andalusia (Spain) participated in the self-application of the CCP model. Subsequently, a questionnaire was administered via a discussion group. The data analysis combines descriptive and qualitative procedures with the support of computer software. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and triangulation techniques are used as methodological integration strategies. The resulting data are discussed, later presenting a series of limitations and prospective of the study. Relevant conclusions are provided about the impact of the CCP model on the professional careers of counselors based on their satisfaction with the self-application of the model, their career progression and employment status, and their self-perceptions of the social impact of their counseling careers. These conclusions highlight the implications of the study regarding promoting the sustainable careers of socio-labor counselors, enhancing their initial and continuous training, and facilitating their occupational actions in a complex and constantly changing society.

1. Introduction

In a world in crisis—a crisis which is exacerbated by the consequences of the pandemic and other international situations that have profoundly affected the globalized economy and the productive fabric, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—the need for social support has increased for many workers who have lost their jobs or become impoverished. The World Bank. [1,2] the International Labor Organization [3] and Eurostat [4], and several other international organizations, including [5,6] and [7], have warned of global conflict in the economic, social, and labor spheres. For example, the International Labor Organization has pointed out that the global crisis prevents certain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from being met, such as gender equality (obj.5) and decent work and economic growth (obj.8). The social and employment outlook in the world is indicating an increase in unemployment or jobs of lower quality and social protection, caused by geopolitical conflicts and the uneven recovery after the pandemic [6]. In the case of Spain, employment has decreased considerably, unemployment has increased, and jobs are becoming increasingly precarious [2]. According to relevant statistics [4], Spain recorded a 14.8% unemployment rate in 2021 (the average in Europe was 7%). In this context, the region of Andalusia specifically registered one of the highest rates [8]. Undoubtedly, this situation affects the most disadvantaged people or those at risk of socio-labor exclusion to an even greater extent, such as unemployed people, poor working people, people who hold several precarious jobs, or families who, despite having several working members, are characterized as impoverished households [8,9]. Against this backdrop, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations [10] emphasizes the need to promote employability and encourage ethical production practices and contexts that guarantee appropriate living conditions for people.

Therefore, it is necessary to promote opportunities for labor market insertion and professional development for all people by taking inclusive approaches [5] that ensure sustainable work that can encourage living and working conditions that allow individuals to develop their careers throughout their working lives [7,11,12].

Given the complexity and transformation of work contexts, it is necessary to guarantee decent jobs and resource networks that make life more sustainable [13,14,15]. The personal dimension is especially relevant in this context [16], reflecting the need for strengthening and empowerment in connection with the variables, axes, and situations in which a person is embedded as a social being. In this sense, professional development requires that people achieve better career self-management [17] and integration with personal values that favor sustainable and comprehensive development [18].

Increasingly, professional decisions must ensure sustainable vocational development, that is, continuity in different social spaces that suppose self-management of the career [17,19], giving meaning to the person [20] and the achievement of professional and personal satisfaction [18,21,22]. As well as, throughout their professional development, people must learn to modify their behavior and assume active conduct in the face of the various decisions and challenges involved in developing their careers in a sustainable manner [23].

Guidance models should be reviewed based on this more comprehensive and sustainable perspective, which seeks a better adaptation of work to people’s lives in an environment of new challenges and permanent change [19,24].

The employment counseling model used in Spain has limitations that indicate a need to adopt changes [25,26,27] with the aim of developing more proactive practices that are consistent with the approaches taken to career counseling throughout life. It is necessary to adopt methodologies that support adaptation to the diversity of user needs, promote the development of career self-management skills and facilitate the construction of a professional project [27,28,29].

The region of Andalusia (Spain) has configured its own institutional model based on the Andalucía Orienta network, which is composed of the offices of the Andalusian Employment Service (Service Andaluz de Empleo—SAE) and various collaborating nonprofit entities (municipalities, associations, nongovernmental organizations, training centers, etc.), whose programs are subsidized with public funds. According to data from the SAE (2021a), in 2020, this network contained 446 units that served 174,171 unemployed people by providing support in their search for employment and offering personalized insertion itineraries [30]. This network includes 1134 counselors and technical staff (80.6% women) [31], who serve an increasingly diverse set of collectives and groups facing situations of exclusion and vulnerability, thus requiring these personnel to have a broad set of professional skills [32]. They must use various tools and strategies to provide aid and support while meeting the requirements established by the entities for which they work and by the relevant funding institutions. Few empirical studies have focused on the profile of the socio-labor counselor and the career development of such individuals. Work of this type often takes place in less-than-favorable conditions and is influenced by various stressful situations, such as the high number of users who must be served and the increasing diversity of user profiles [33,34] as well as by the circumstances—sometimes serious and difficult—of the people whom they serve, which are often due to social, economic, and labor exclusion. To these difficulties are added organizational conditions, such as the temporary nature of jobs, given that program support is subject to limited-term public funding, complex and often bureaucratic forms of management, limited flexibility regarding taking the prescribed counseling actions, and the pressure faced by users due to mandatory participation in counseling to maintain their unemployment benefits [33,35,36,37]. These issues reinforce the need to address the employability and professional development of socio-labor counselors.

Career planning, also known as planfulness, is a tool that is currently viewed as essential for preparing young people and adults to build and manage their projects in a dynamic, constructive, and adaptive manner throughout their lives [38,39,40,41,42,43]. The notion of professional projects constitutes a core element of counseling action and self-orientation and provides a methodological basis on which to apply the principles that are shared and recognized throughout the field of counseling (among others, the principles of prevention, development, and social intervention). Additionally, this concept has important implications and benefits for the person receiving counseling [43], as it contributes to the tasks of reducing uncertainty in changing contexts and improving people’s ability to adapt and activate self-management skills in their careers [42,44].

Individuals build projects in the medium and long term by engaging in reflective processes that allow them to give meaning to their lives and their professional journeys. Within this framework, through interactions with their different life contexts, people can manage their lives, self-develop their professional trajectories, take responsibility for their decisions, and resolve any crises that arise [43]. The theoretical model based on a systemic perspective [16] allows us to understand the complexity of professional development in people in contexts of permanent change.

The literature reflects a growing interest in the effectiveness of professional career construction (CCP, in line with its acronym in Spanish) regarding improving the employability of people [45]. Studies, such as those conducted by Carlson et al. [46] or Hirschi et al. [19], have highlighted the existence of a relationship between career planning and management and psychological well-being, linking this relationship to the adoption of better strategies to reduce stress and enhance work-family balance. In a fluid society characterized by the complexity and uncertainty of new challenges, resilient people who have the capacity to be adaptive and flexible are needed. Basic issues such as physical, social, and mental health, a positive, proactive, and adjusted perception of one’s contribution to society (through the development of a job, whether paid or not), and personal and social well-being constitute a sustainable career [47]. Sustainability in this sense is connected to the integral approaches associated with Savickas’s [44] conceptualization of a career, which requires the person to be placed at the center from an experiential perspective [39] and entails consideration of the contexts (macro, meso, and micro) into which the person is inserted, as well as the possible conditioning factors that may intervene in the person’s career development [40]. This approach involves working areas of competency that lead to improved sustainability (for example, self-knowledge, vital values, expectations, resilience, flexibility, professional adaptability, decision, and vocational planning) [48]. All such development occurs through self-reflective and critical processes that are closely connected with counselors’ life situations and professional practice.

Although the literature on this area remains scarce, previous international studies on the career construction and employability of socio-labor counselors [49] have confirmed that interventions pertaining to vital and professional career-building processes can enhance counselors’ reflexivity and self-awareness with respect to their own career projects. Such studies have also highlighted specific needs for professional training in the use of the practice itself to support users’ sustainable professional development. These studies have concluded that socio-labor counselors should first build their own sustainable professional projects because only then are they able to help others by promoting their well-being from a sustainable perspective.

In the Spanish sphere, few empirical studies have evaluated interventions in this field aimed at vulnerable populations. Few studies have integrated sustainable development with professional development from the perspective of socio-labor counselors themselves, particularly by emphasizing the role of the construction of the professional project as an intervention strategy or the role of the counselor in this scenario. The few such studies that have been conducted include those conducted by [32] who studied in detail the competence profile and needs of professional counselors developing their work in socio-labor contexts and by [26], who highlighted the need for career management models that take an integrative and holistic approach. The study conducted by [45], which focused on a university population, showed that the strategies used in career-building processes—such as the portfolio, in which context people work on their competencies in all areas that affect their lives—favor the development of a sustainable career.

People must build their projects in the medium and long term by engaging in reflective processes that allow them to give meaning to their lives and professional journeys. Within this framework, by interacting with their different life contexts, people can manage their lives, self-develop their professional careers, take responsibility for their decisions, and resolve any crises that arise [43].

Based on these theoretical parameters, the professional career construction model (CCP) [45] assumes a holistic conception of guidance and constitutes an intervention methodology aimed at responding to the needs of insertion and professional development, thus helping people acquire the ability to explore new paths, identify employment/self-employment niches, and maintain or innovate their search for personal and social well-being [47] in the context of the SDGs of the United Nations 2030 Agenda [10]. The model assumes a dynamic, multidimensional conception of careers. In this context, various events, roles, and decisions occur and overlap [44,47,50], and it acknowledges the great complexity of current career paths because of changing environments [38,42,44]. In the process of learning to manage one’s career, it is necessary to focus on both the cognitive and metacognitive dimensions, as well as the social dimension (the influences of the social, physical, and cultural environment) without neglecting the affective-emotional aspects [33,51,52].

The CCP model (Figure 1) [45] consists of a program sequenced by feedback stages whose content can be open, flexible, and adaptable according to the characteristics of the target group or person. The guiding process encourages the activation and leading role of the person in understanding their own development, reflecting on their own identity, and generating their own goals, options, and strategies, which take the form of a professional project. Throughout this journey, individuals must obtain diverse information using a variety of instruments and techniques. It is the person who identifies and interprets the information (with the help of the guidance professional), based on which, through a systematic reflective process, the person then assumes responsibility for their own decisions. This decision-making is viewed as a cyclical and continuous process that continues throughout one’s life and is based on the acquisition and improvement of career management skills [43]. The model consists of five content areas: (1) Initial goals, (2) knowledge regarding the environment and self-knowledge, (3) readjustment of goals, (4) planning strategy, and (5) project evaluation and management.

The model has been applied in Spain in the field of undergraduate and postgraduate university training as well as in the context of counseling for entrepreneurs [53,54,55].

Similarly, in Mexico, the model has been applied to university populations from rural contexts (Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Texcoco, Mexico) [55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80]. Complementary socio-labor intervention actions have also been taken, which involved employing this model in informal contexts within the framework of a collaborating entity (Civil Asociacion Agora, Convivir para Vivir) with respect to groups of women seeking employment and job improvement [56].

In an ongoing project, this model is being applied to groups facing situations of vulnerability and social and labor exclusion. Based on this project, an integrated virtual system featuring support resources that can facilitate the construction of a career in these groups with special needs can be created [57].

Based on these antecedents, we pose the following research questions:

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What is the general impact of the CCP model on the professional careers of socio-labor counselors?

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To what extent are these professionals satisfied with the model?

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How do you experience the process of self-application of the CCP model in the framework of your daily activity?

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How do you assess the evolution or progression of your career through the CCP model?

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How do they perceive and value the impact of the CCP model on the social sustainability that their professional action as counselor entails?

Based on these questions, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the CCP model on the professional careers of socio-labor counselors and the social sustainability actions associated with their work performance entails. Specifically, the following goals are proposed:

• Examine the impact of the CCP model on counselors’ professional careers, considering (a) their satisfaction with the self-application of the CCP model (how they have lived it) and (b) the progression of their careers and employment status.
• Determine and assess counselors’ perceptions of the impact of this model on the social sustainability of their counselor actions.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Approach and Justification

A mixed methodology featuring a predominantly qualitative approach [58,59,60] was used. This research involved an exploratory study featuring an interpretive approach because we were guided by the meanings and understanding of certain processes [61,62], in this case, pertaining to the career development of socio-labor counseling professionals and the ways in which the CCP model has impacted the construction of their professional projects.

As noted by [63], we are situated in a dialogic moment in which certain social problems require the specific use of various methods. A topic of importance in this context is how the methods are integrated and combined in the research design to give meaning to the data and to address, in an ethical and sustainable manner, situations that affect people’s lives. In this study, we were guided by qualitative research [63] drawing on quantitative information, thereby allowing us to situate the object of study in its context more effectively while understanding it and representing it from a qualitative perspective that gives a voice to its protagonists [64,65,66,67].

To reinforce the content analysis and support the results, the study incorporated a quantitative approach featuring the use of descriptive techniques and decision trees. Decision trees generate a classification model based on flowcharts, predicting values of a dependent variable (criterion) based on values of independent variables (predictors) [68]. The chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) model was used to create segments and profiles with respect to the desired results by automatically detecting interactions. In each step, CHAID selected the independent variable (predictor) that had the strongest interaction with the dependent variable. The statistical package SPSS 25 was used to facilitate this analysis.

2.2. Procedure

A group of counselors from the Andalusian community was invited to self-apply the CCP model. Dissemination of the model was conducted via telephone, email, and an explanatory video. Counselors who agreed to participate were provided with materials regarding the model, which was self-applied over the course of 6 months in two stages (from October 2021 to April 2022). Monthly monitoring of the self-application process was performed by the research team. In stage 1, the counselors self-applied the model and received professional follow-up. In stage 2, information was collected regarding the impact of participants’ self-application of the model. Specifically, following the self-application of the CCP model, a mixed questionnaire was administered (two parts: Closed questions and open questions of a narrative nature), the response rate was 90%. Finally, a discussion group was held with a subsample of participants to identify how they valued their role and experience as socio-labor counselors throughout the self-application of the program.

At all times, ethical principles in research were upheld by providing a protocol (informed consent) to all participants, which included detailed information regarding the goals of the study and the aggregate use of the data obtained and guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality throughout the process (Figure 2).

2.3. Sample

The sample was composed of counselors from the autonomous community of Andalusia. A convenience sampling approach was used based on the Andalucía Orienta network, the Master of Professional Career Guidance program at UNED, and the Master of Training and Work Orientation program at Universidad de Sevilla (University of Seville). The selection criteria were as follows: (1) Willingness to collaborate in the research, (2) accessibility, (3) completion of the entire sequence of stages of the model, and (4) availability to provide expanded narrative information (post factum) when necessary.

Of the 53 socio-labor counselors who agreed to participate in this research, 48 completed the self-application of the CCP model in its entirety, and 51 responded to the questionnaire.

Participants were aged between 22 and 55 years (M = 36.42 and SD = 10.03), and 96.1% of participants were women, 68.6% resided in urban areas, while 31.4% resided in semiurban or rural areas. A total of 68.6% of participants did not have dependents, while 29.4% had dependents. In terms of training, 12 counselors (23.5%) had completed undergraduate studies, while 76.5% (39 subjects) had completed postgraduate studies. Training areas included psychology (31%), social education (29%), pedagogy (29%), early childhood and primary education (14%), and labor relations and human resources (2%). All participants (100%) were either studying for or held an official master’s degree in the field of socio-labor counseling. A total of 74.5% of participants were working at the time of the survey, while 25.5% were unemployed.

2.4. Instruments, Information Collection Techniques, and Variables

The questionnaire consisted of 42 items that were structured in three parts. The first part was designed to collect sociodemographic data (nine categorical items). The second part was designed to collect socio-labor data (six items: Three categorical and three open-ended), which allowed us to verify the respondents’ employment status and assess the impact of a professional project on their professional position, their career progression and other achievements and personal benefits. The third part was designed to assess career management skills based on a scale comprising 26 items scored on a six-point Likert scale (ranging from 0 to 5) and one open-ended item.

In parallel, an online discussion group was held with a subsample of participants (n = 13) to improve our understanding of the role of counselors and their experience with the self-application of the program. This approach provided discursive material for the analysis. Specifically, the questions included in the script invited participants to assess the CCP model in relation to its impact on their career progression and satisfaction with the self-application experience as well as its potential impact on guiding their actions in terms of social sustainability.

2.5. Analytical Techniques

The qualitative data were subjected to content analysis [69,70,71] using ATLAS.ti version 22 software.

The main tasks involved in content analysis are data collection, transcription and reduction, arrangement, organization and interpretation, prior coding (“indexing system”), the development of a hierarchical system of categories, the analysis of meanings, the creation of graphs and text matrices, and the drawing of conclusions [72]. This process of categorization allowed us to segment, synthesize, and group the data and, subsequently, reduce and classify the textual units based on thematic criteria. The units of information were classified based on their correspondence to the topics and segments that they framed or to which they alluded, resulting in clear and relevant criteria for analysis. Subsequently, the information was coded, which led to the assignment of codes to both established and emerging categories and, subsequently, to theoretical coding across different stages (i.e., open, axial, and selective) [73]. The analysis was conducted using a mixed procedure (deductive and inductive) that started with a series of previous categories and was guided by the goals themselves. Other categories that emerged from the analysis itself were then added.

An excerpt from the category system thus generated is presented in

Table 1. Qualitative analysis categories.

		INITIAL CATEGORIES	SUBCATEGORIES IDENTIFIED
		Has improved
INDIVIDUAL ASPECT	Career progression	Professional achievements [ACHIEV]	Job improvement [ACHIEV1]; Define/plan future goals [ACHIEV2];	SDG 1, 4, 8
		Reflection [REFLEX]	Goal delimitation/trajectory monitoring [REFLEX1]; Self-knowledge [REFLEX2]
		Skills and knowledge [SKILL]	Boost strengths/address weaknesses [SKILL1]; Higher qualification [SKILL2]
		Has not improved
		Labor market [MARKET]	Demand for professional experience [MARKET1]; Shortage of job offers [MARKET2];	SDG 1, 2, 3, 8
		Dependence on eventual unpredictable situations [EVEN]	Dependence on public calls [EVEN1]; COVID-19 health situation [EVEN2]
		Neutral impact [NEUTR]	Autonomy [NEUTR1]; Premature [NEUTR2]
	Satisfaction with the self-application of the CCP model	Priorities [PRIO]	Reorient trajectory/goals [PRIO1]; Structure priorities [PRIO2]; Work-life balance [PRIO3]	SDG 5, 8
		Self-assessment [ASSESS]	Self-analysis [ASSESS1]; Identity [ASSESS2]; Self-awareness regarding achievements [ASSESS3]
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY ASPECT	Social impact of orientation actions	Helping profession [AID]	Accompaniment [AID1]; Adapted responses [AID2]; Transfer [AID3]	SDG 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12
		Sustainable environment [ENVIR]	New forms of relationship [ENVIR1]; Changes/sustainability [ENVIR2]
		Inclusion [INCLU]	Social protection policies [INCLU1]; Equality [INCLU2]
		Inclusive labor market [MARK]	Employability improvement [MARK1]; Sustainable entrepreneurship [MARK2]

Source: Own elaboration.

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Quantitative analyses were conducted to provide descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and standard deviations) with the aim of expanding the analysis of the impact of a professional project on counselors’ careers regarding their career progression and satisfaction with the realization of a professional project. Specifically, using CHAID segmentation analysis, classificatory decision trees were generated using flow diagrams to predict the values of a dependent variable (criterion) based on the values of independent variables (predictors) [68]. This model created segments and profiles pertaining to the desired results by automatically detecting interactions, thus improving our understanding of the object of study. The statistical package SPSS 25 was used to facilitate this analysis.

Finally, triangulation was used as an integration strategy through the application of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) technique [74]. In this approach, the variables of the CCP model under study intersected with the dimensions of the SWOT technique. This analysis made it possible to collect the opportunities offered by and limitations of the CCP model that were highlighted by the counselors after the development of their professional project, which could then be divided into positive and negative factors as well as both internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (threats and opportunities).

3. Results

The results of this research are presented in an organized sequence according to the proposed objectives. Based on the qualitative analysis of content, a set of categories and subcategories has been obtained (see Table 1) that shows us a broad map of elements that allow us to understand the professional situation experienced by the counselors participating in the study. First, the results about how the CCP model impacts the professional career of the counselor are presented, trying to obtain evidence about their own satisfaction after the application of the CCP model and about the progression of their professional career. Second, their perception of the social impact of this intervention model on their professional practice is analyzed (objective 2.2). Finally, the results are presented in an integrated and global way from the SWOT analysis.

3.1. The Impact of the CCP Model on Counselors’ Professional Careers: Perception of Their Satisfaction and Career Progression

The research shows that the CCP model has a positive impact on the professional trajectories of counselors, providing elements of innovation that respond to their professional needs and that affect their satisfaction and feeling of progression in their professional careers. Next, evidence is presented about these two dimensions explored to respond to the first research objective.

3.1.1. Satisfaction with the Experience of the Self-Application of the CCP Model

The experience of carrying out a professional project provided counselors with elements of subjective satisfaction that contributed to their personal and professional well-being, as expressed in the study carried out. The following concept map shows an example of the relationship between the categories found and defined by the informants and the link between them (Figure 3).

In this sense, this process helped them establish priorities [PRIO]. Specifically, the reorientation of trajectory/goals [PRIO1] subcategory can be distinguished as a source of satisfaction. Clear examples of this are the following statements provided by the informants:

“Without a doubt, it has made me rethink where I wanted to go initially with my life and professional project and where I am now, assessing how to set new goals and feel fully developed both professionally and personally, which will translate into an improvement in my quality of life” (Subject 1), “Because I am initiating actions to take up a new profession that I believe will offer me greater professional satisfaction” (Subject 41), “Expand the perspective of my work possibilities” (Subject 30).

From the narrative discourse of the informants, the satisfaction derived from being able to Structure priorities [PRIO2] that adjust to their own needs and goals in a more coherent way. This is not how they express it in their speeches:

“It has helped me organize my priorities” (Subject 14), “Plan and reorganize my professional development, establish priorities in the steps to follow and times” (Subject 13), “Perhaps in defining priorities, especially on the personal side” (Subject 50), “It has helped me to focus on the goals that I have now” (Subject 46).

This point is also connected with planning to achieve a greater work-life balance [PRIO3], evidenced by:

“Especially in being able to combine work and my personal life” (Subject 28).

The final category refers to the ability to self-assess [ASSESS]. The subcategory self-analysis [ASSESS1] refers to an awareness of self-reported elements and dimensions such as self-esteem. The affirmations of three counselors were:

“To assess myself based on the knowledge of my skills and qualities and to know what I want to achieve” (Subject 45), “Self-esteem” (Subject 3), “Self-analysis, but it is a constant and changing work” (Subject 27).

This process involves a deepening of one’s identity itself [ASSESS2] and an alignment of goals with aspirations. A clear example of this statement is:

“It helped me recognize myself, strengthen my weaknesses, in decision-making and in my self-determination. However, above all, to grow as a human being and as a professional” (Subject 15).

Likewise, the subjects have referred to a Self-awareness about the achievements [ASSESS3] reached, expressed by the following advisor:

“Greater satisfaction due to being more aware and giving achievements the value they deserve” (Subject 48).

To deepen the results obtained in this manner, the counselors were asked to select from a list of five variables the achievements that they viewed as most significant, and that produced the greatest satisfaction after the realization of a professional project.

Among the counselors, 78.4% (40 of 48 counselors) indicated that the development of a professional project had helped them “make or rethink important decisions” and 66.7% (34 counselors) claimed that it allowed them to “rethink aspects of my personal life”. Both variables are related to reflection on one’s own life in the professional and personal spheres. Twenty-six counselors (51%) indicated that the development of a professional project influenced their opportunity to “improve my training”, thus highlighting the applicative nature of a professional project in the work of counselors, and 35.3% (18 counselors) noted that it could help them “Get a new job” as well as “Start my own company or business” (3.9%, two counselors).

Because the variable “making or rethinking important decisions” was indicated as the greatest achievement, its meaning and connection with the counselors’ professional trajectories were explored further through a segmentation analysis performed using the CHAID algorithm (Std. Error 0.046). The results indicated that the variable that predicted “making or rethinking important decisions” most effectively was obtaining a new job or maintaining such a job (Figure 4).

Counselors who did not want to obtain a new job (Node 1) were characterized (81.2%) by their ability to progress in their employment. The variables “I usually realize when interesting opportunities arise, and I know how to take advantage of them” (Node 7) and “I am a person with initiative, I like to introduce change frequently and to be agile (not stagnate), even if doing so makes me leave my comfort zone” (Node 9–100%) characterized competent socio-labor counselors who wanted to establish themselves in their positions by improving their performance.

For counselors who wanted a new job, the most predictive variable was “Rethinking my personal life” (Node 5–85.7%), thus indicating that the work and personal spheres are completely linked, an aspect that is identified in the CCP model (building my professional career).

It should be noted that the preparation of the professional project has contributed to counselors making or rethinking important decisions, both in their personal and professional lives.

The results shown below are related to the first objective defined in the study: To examine how the CCP model impacts the counselor’s professional career, considering, secondly, the progression of his career and his employment situation.

3.1.2. Counselor Career Progression

The results obtained show that a total of 70.6% of counselors affirmed that since the realization of their professional project, their professional position had improved in terms of the positions they held, they had achieved greater knowledge of themselves, and they had defined their goals more effectively. In contrast, 29.4% of counselors declared that their professional situation had not improved.

Subjects who perceived their situation as having improved after the development of a professional project using the CCP model highlighted the following aspects, which are ordered by initial category (professional goals, reflection, and skills and knowledge) and broken down into explanatory subcategories.

The first category is related to achievements [ACHIEV], which were attributed to the process of constructing a professional project that reflected professional well-being either by enabling counselors to access a desired field or by allowing them to discover and strengthen their goals. An example of this is reflected in the following comment:

“I have been able to work in a professional field that motivates me” (Subject 4).

This category exerted a satisfactory impact on their professional advancement and the planning of future goals, resulting in improved personal and work well-being. The subcategories thus analyzed are broken down below.

The job improvement [ACHIEV1] subcategory includes counselors’ attainment of an expected job based on their own goals and motivations, as illustrated by the following statements:

“One of the goals that I wanted to achieve through the development of a professional project was to get an interim position […], and I currently occupy this position” (Subject 28), “I am working on what I like, and I am following my project” (Subject 31), “It allowed me to participate in socio-labor counseling projects and […] take on more responsibilities” (Subject 12), “To develop a second occupation” (Subject 10).

The sample surveyed indicated the importance of the definition/planning of future goals [ACHIEV2] regarding achieving better working conditions, and they highlighted this approach as an essential strategy to establish future possibilities and expand the horizon of opportunities available to them. Here are some responses from counselors that validate these achievements:

“Focusing slightly more on my goals” (Subject 19), “I have been able to expand alternative goals” (Subject 46), “It has allowed me to clarify professional possibilities and clearly define the steps needed to achieve goals related to professional improvement” (Subject 9), “I have been able to define with greater certainty what I want to achieve and in what time frame, in both the personal and professional fields” (Subject 9).

The second category analyzed is reflection [REFLEX]. The development of a professional project helped the participants reflect on their trajectories. This process offered them the time necessary to consider each critical aspect in detail and to reveal latent aspects. What is supported by the following guidance professional:

“By having a more holistic perspective on myself, my goals are clearer” (Subject 43).

This dimension encompasses two subcategories. The first subcategory, delimitation of goals/monitoring of their trajectories [REFLEX1], focuses on the importance of defining goals and following previously planned steps to achieve them. The results obtained are reflected in the following examples:

“It has allowed me to focus on a single goal, and I currently have several job opportunities in sight” (Subject 44). “The professional project helps me establish a fixed goal and follow the steps proposed until this goal is achieved. I learned how I had to approach my professional life” (Subject 26).

The second subcategory, self-knowledge [REFLEX2], emphasizes self-knowledge, which allowed the subjects to adapt more effectively to changes and thus to continue growing throughout their professional careers. The informants have expressed this through the following comments:

“My personal self-knowledge has increased, which has been reflected in my search for employment” (Subject 34), “I am clear about the goals I pursue, I know the environment, and most importantly, I know myself” (Subject 3), “I am more aware of the importance of constant reflection and self-knowledge for reworking my goals” (Subject 8), “I started to know myself more, to be aware of what I have (…) and to keep improving and advancing” (Subject 29).

Finally, the third category analyzed refers to the skills and knowledge [SKILL] acquired by the counselors as part of their training and their continuous learning in pursuit of professional improvement.

The study sample indicated that the realization of a professional project allowed them to become more aware of and improve their skills as well as to learn and strengthen their knowledge. Regarding skills, boosting strengths and improving weaknesses [SKILL1] was a major focus:

“It has helped me enhance my strengths at work and to address those weaknesses that I explored in myself during the creation of my professional project” (Subject 32).

Participants attached considerable importance to the acquisition of a higher qualification [SKILL2], which would allow them to be more competent in their work, as reflected in the informants’ speeches:

“I value the work I do more thanks to my qualification” (Subject 2), “Because of the skills developed, improved analysis, informed decision-making, self-exploration…” (Subject 5).

The acquisition of new tools in their work performance gave rise to new job opportunities in addition to offering access to specific and specialized jobs, as stated by two informants:

“Because it gives me experience in handling new tools and using a structured method” (Subject 42), “Access to specific jobs” (Subject 7).

In relation to the increase perceived by counselors with regard to their career management skills, the quantitative analysis indicated that their perceptions of such skills were generally high (average scores ranging from 3.82 to 4.55 on a Likert scale ranging from 0 to 5), particularly with respect to perseverance in achieving one’s own goals (4.55), making career decisions based on information concerning oneself (4.50), and self-direction regarding a career (4.49). The skills pertaining to a satisfactory reconciliation of family and professional life [work-life balance] (3.82), addressing the stress and tension that their work entails (3.82), and having a positive concept of self (3.82) were somewhat less marked.

Subjects who claimed that the realization of a professional project did not help them improve their professional situation referred to situations of stagnation or a lack of progress, which they attributed to various reasons that can be classified into three categories: Stagnation and dependence, external factors, and indifference.

The results obtained in the labor market [MARKET] category refer to situations linked to the labor market in the participants’ sector that have hindered their advancement and job improvement. Demand for professional experience [MARKET1] was identified as representing a barrier to the advancement of their professional careers, particularly among counselors who were just starting in the profession. As an example, a counselor has stated:

“Most companies and institutions require years of experience even before specialized training” (Subject 15).

Another barrier noted pertained to the shortage of job offers [DEPEN1] and access to stable positions or promotions, as one informant has stated:

“I am a civil servant, my promotion depends on job offers, not on my additional training” (Subject 10).

Regarding the established category that refers to the dependence on eventual situations [EVEN] includes two subcategories of an external nature that were beyond counselors’ direct control and difficult to predict. One such subcategory refers to the dependence on public calls [EVEN1], which refers to the competition for stable jobs within public employment services—a frequent aspiration in a sector that usually involves a temporary employment status due to the fluctuation of program financing based on public policies, which affects the frequency and duration of job offers for counselors. In this sense, the results obtained reflect that counselors are in a situation of “uncertainty”, highlighting some responses:

“There have been no changes in my work situation, although I feel satisfied, and this training will allow me to improve my score on the public service exam” (Subject 37), “I focused my project on preparing for positions for which there has not been a call” (Subject 14), “Because there is no call for positions” (Subject 16), “I keep working in the same job position […] until I pass positions” (Subject 47).

Other participants blamed the COVID-19 health situation [EVEN2] for their limited career progress:

“My situation is still similar, I think because of the health situation we are going through” (Subject 17).

Finally, the category neutral impact [NEUTR] includes the perceptions of counselors who reported that the realization of a professional project had not affected the clarification of their goals because they had previously defined those goals autonomously. Similarly, the autonomy subcategory [NEUTR1] includes the following statements, expressed by the following guidance professionals:

“My professional project, even if I did not have it, had ambitions and goals set for years” (Subject 18), “My job already meets my expectations and initial academic demands” (Subject 20).

One counselor reported that the task of assessing whether the realization of a professional project had helped improve their professional situation was premature (premature subcategory [NEUTR2]):

“I think it’s too early to see the results” (Subject 24).

We sought to support these results by conducting a segmentation analysis using the CHAID algorithm (Std. Error 0.058) with the aim of assessing counselors’ opinions of the usefulness of the development of a professional project in their career progression (Figure 3).

For 74.4% of the counselors who were working (Node 1), the completion of a professional project led to improvements in their professional position (in terms of occupation, satisfaction with improvements in planning skills, etc.). Skills such as “I am aware of time and am persistent when I propose a goal” (Node 8, 70.8%) and “I am able to plan my goals at all times and the sequence of steps to achieve them” (Node 4, 79.4%) were identified by active counselors who affirmed the usefulness of the realization of a professional project using the CCP model.

In contrast, 41.7% (Node 2) of the counselors who were unemployed believed that the development of a professional project had not improved their professional situation. Among this group, 71.4% (Node 6) were optimistic, noting that “whatever I do, I have faith and confidence in myself and that I will achieve it,” indicating that they recognized other possibilities and different resources that could improve their employment status. This recognition was attributed to their experience with the self-application of the CCP model (Figure 5).

The evidence found in the results obtained allows us to affirm that the self-application of the CCP model has had a positive impact on their personal and professional trajectories. In this sense, it has been desired to delve into this impact specifically through the second objective of this research which seeks to know and assess the perception of counselors about the impact on social sustainability of their counseling action.

3.2. Counselors’ Perceptions of the Impact of the Model CCP on the Social Sustainability of Their Professional Actions

To investigate the social impact of the work of socio-labor counselors, the link between their professional performance and the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda [29] was investigated with the aim of assessing how socio-labor counseling can contribute to the achievement of these goals. Figure 6 shows a map of the predominant terms in this analysis of the answers given by the counselors.

The participants emphasized the fact that socio-labor counseling is a helping profession that is characterized by the social support and accompaniment offered by a counselor regarding overcoming difficulties and discovering new possibilities.

The helping profession [AID] category is related to SDG 8 of the 2030 Agenda, which focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. Two subcategories were identified.

The first such subcategory is accompaniment [AID1], which is offered to the person receiving counseling and is viewed as a hallmark of the profession of socio-labor counselor that is characterized by accompanying, counseling, and helping others respond to their own needs. Counselors have reported:

“One of the ways in which unemployed people are inserted into the labor market is through the accompaniment and personalized itineraries and training for employment that professional counseling offers, which becomes a way of scaffolding the transformation of our society to promote the creation of quality jobs” (Subject 3), “Through accompaniment across the different stages of the life of the person, whether in educational or work transitions” (Subject 16), “As counseling professionals, we must advise people by promoting actions toward equal opportunities, promoting access to employment for the most vulnerable groups, acting in the educational context from a very early age, informing people about the labor market and the conditions necessary for a job, among others” (Subject 41), “I have found a job […] that allows me to help unemployed people in their entire job search process, which provides me with great personal and professional satisfaction” (Subject 35).

The development of a professional project entailed improvements in participants’ work through the optimization of adapted responses [AID2] to the needs of users. This aspect is related to SDG 4 of the 2030 Agenda, which aims to guarantee inclusive, equitable, and quality education and promote learning opportunities throughout life. This is reflected in the following evidence:

“I can give a more adequate response to the needs of the people I work with, and I also better understand their situation and what has brought them to a resource like ours” (Subject 1), “For having a reference to improve in my profession and in different ways of intervening in my work and the type of counseling that gives more quality to people in their search for professional development” (Subject 13), “In addition, the adaptation made from my first professional project to the current one has allowed me to adapt much better to the changes suffered during these years and to have clear goals to continue growing throughout my life trajectory” (Subject 35).

The transfer [AID3] subcategory takes a vocational perspective, linking the opportunity to transfer the learning obtained in this context with the experience of developing one’s own professional project. Examples of this are shown below:

“It also helps me help other people, take care of them and have tools and a perspective to guide both my family and friends and at work” (Subject 30), “It has also helped me […] rethink the importance of counseling and support for students in compulsory secondary education with regard to decision-making and self-knowledge” (Subject 36), “Because I can carry out training acquired in this process through the functions of my performance” (Subject 21).

The second category is related to the sustainable environment [ENVIR] that surrounds us and to new ways of relating to that environment. This category is linked to SDG 11 of the 2030 Agenda on sustainable cities and communities: promote access to jobs in decent economic conditions that allow people to access housing in safe and sustainable environments. One subcategory focuses on the influence of counseling in new forms of relationships [ENVIR1] with the environment. Two counselors have stated:

“The way of relating to my environment” (Subject 4), “Counseling should encourage reflection and critical thinking skills in people, which will consequently be applied to the social context in which we live” (Subject 23).

Another subcategory focuses on the role of counseling in promoting the changes for sustainability that must be implemented in social environments [ENVIR2]. In this case, the counselors have indicated:

“The role of counseling already unconsciously influences changes in the environment, for example, by promoting awareness of the population with respect to caring for the environment in employment programs or providing skills training to competent workers and educating them on their labor rights” (Subject 48), “Direct or indirect socio-labor counseling will contribute to greater sustainability in terms of the responsibility to create and promote a more sustainable citizenry” (Subject 31).

A third category refers to inclusion [INCLU], which is understood in terms of various manifestations. SDG 1 of the 2030 Agenda refers to the task of ending poverty: Promote the labor inclusion of people who are in a situation of poverty or at risk and employment improvement processes.

“Thanks to professional counseling, people can find it easier to access a job, thus favoring decent economic conditions and reducing poverty” (SDG 1) (Subject 19)

Regarding the protection policies [INCLU1] subcategory, counselors highlighted their importance in supporting particularly vulnerable groups:

“Access to the world of labor and inclusion, guided by professional counseling, will be a point of support and essential improvement for the achievement of these goals” (Subject 33), “Professional counseling acts as an axis of active employment policies due to its increasing recognition in labor laws” (Subject 5), “With the appearance of COVID 19, social inequalities have been greatly affected because many jobs were lost, and there were layoffs in addition to the fear of an imminent crisis. For entrepreneurs and companies, it has caused fear to boost their businesses as a result of the uncertainty of the situation” (Subject 29).

SDG 3, which aims at guaranteeing a healthy life and promoting well-being for all at all ages, was observed in the following comment:

“Promoting good physical and mental health (SDG 3)” (Subject 36).

SDG 2 of the 2030 Agenda, zero hunger: Promote access to jobs with decent economic conditions that allow people to acquire healthy, nutritious, and sufficient food, was also addressed:

“It is for this reason that social protection policies for people living in poverty should be developed [….] and counteract situations of inequality that can lead to problems with hunger and malnutrition (Subject 37), “That they help people be able to eat in an adequate manner, combating hunger (SDG 2) (Subject 11).

The subcategory related to equality [INCLU2] is linked to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. A counselor has revealed that:

“The empowerment of women around their work environment, favoring gender equality” (Subject 5).

SDG 8 seeks to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The following statements are examples of what was revealed in the speeches:

“I fully agree on the need to promote development at the labor level that respects people. It is of vital importance that companies work in a sustainable manner, respecting human rights and working with a strong professional ethic” (Subject 46), “The work to achieve a sustainable way of life constitutes one of the transversal areas pursued through the work of professional counseling” (Subject 59).

Finally, the third category reflects the importance of the labor market [MARK] and its relationship with sustainability. SDG 9 of the 2030 Agenda refers to building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. The improvements in employability [MARK1] subcategory reflects the following connections. In the words of the informants, it can be seen that:

“It is urgent to promote good practices in work performance with respect to caring for the environment so that people can ‘earn a living’ in a sustainable manner, trying to reduce the consumption of resources and favoring recycling and reuse, thus avoiding the emission of waste” (Subject 15), “The impact of counseling activities reaches people in the form of reflection on the labor market, a reflection on the global social changes that occur, also encouraging people to become aware of and be consistent in the actions we perform” (Subject 21), “Professional counseling is configured as a discipline aimed at improving employability and the conditions of access and promotion in employment (in fully developed countries), which highlights the importance of the relationship between counselor and counselee as a way of adapting to the changing demands of the labor market” (Subject 39).

Finally, the sustainable entrepreneurship [MARK2] subcategory, SDG 12, which aims to guarantee sustainable consumption and production patterns, was reflected in the following comments:

“Promote sustainable entrepreneurship based on the principles of sustainable development, creating resources, such as a guide to good practices, that can be very useful for people who want to launch a business while making them aware of the need to take actions that are respectful of the environment and people, showing them guidelines that can be profitable as well as sustainable when starting a new business” (Subject 58), “In the labor/social world, it is increasingly necessary to promote ecological employment, retrain the skills of professionals and anticipate changes in the workplace. The transition toward more ecological jobs will have repercussions in the future. Thus, it is important for socio-labor counseling to understand and analyze these market dynamics and to be able to assess the skills necessary to adhere to these new jobs or create sustainable entrepreneurship” (Subject 7).

3.3. Integration of Results on the Impact of the CCP Model

The results emanating from the detailed analysis of the comments, responses, and arguments made by the counselors who have participated in the study have been shown. Likewise, and to integrate the results obtained, a SWOT matrix (

Table 2. SWOT analysis used to assess the impact of the CCP model on the career and social actions of socio-labor counselors.

STRENGTHS (S)	-Intrinsic, vocational satisfaction with regard to exercising the role of counselor (S1) -Improvement in career progression (S2) -Self-reflection and personal self-assessment (S3) -Making, rethinking, and prioritizing important career decisions (S4) -Discovering new professional goals (S5) -Planning and sequencing actions to achieve goals (S6)	-It takes time to apply the CCP model (W1) -It takes time to see the results of the self-orientation process (W2) -Need to address accelerated changes that require immediate responses (W3) -Need to address unpredictable eventual situations (W4) -Insufficient resources to carry out counseling actions (W5)	WEAKNESSES (W)
THREATS (T)	-Dependence on policies and public calls, contests, limited programs/projects with regard to the professional actions of the socio-labor counselor (T1) -Socio-labor situation to create a sustainable career (T2) -Current situation of the general labor market (unemployment, precariousness) (T3) -Current situation of the labor market in the sociocommunity sector (job offers, precariousness, temporary status) (T4) -Low visibility and social appreciation of counselors’ work and actions that contribute to social sustainability (T5)	-Possibility of reorienting one’s career/professional goals (O1) -Increase in possibilities for professional promotion (O2) -Possibility of transferring acquired career management skills to targeted people (O3) -Contribution of professional counseling to equality and social inclusion and to the achievement of the SDGs (O4) -Social utility of the profession of a socio-labor counselor (O5) -Increase in the methodological resources available for accompaniment in the services of career counseling and labor insertion (O6)	OPPORTUNITIES(O)

Source: Own elaboration.

) is presented with the goal of visualizing, in a global manner, the impact of the self-application of the CCP model on the professional careers of socio-labor counselors and their social sustainability actions.

4. Discussion

As shown in this work, the opportunity for people to plan their careers and manage their own professional and personal projects throughout their lives [38,39,40,41,42] positively impacts their employability and their ability to make decisions in a more satisfactory and sustainable manner [11,12] (S4), as such an approach contributes to the improvement of their living and working conditions [7] (S2) and ultimately to the achievement of professional well-being [29].

Satisfaction with the experience of building one’s own professional project through the CCP methodology is related to reflective action with respect to your own career and with the adoption of a proactive position in decision-making, planning, and project management.

From the counselor’s perspective, the experience of building a professional project facilitates better elaboration, planning, and decision-making with respect to one’s professional future and offers relevant experience and learning regarding the ability to provide counseling in the future to people who wish to build and launch their own professional projects (O3). For these professionals who, daily, focus their actions on observing and helping to optimize the professional careers of their users, the novelty of this experience lies in having the opportunity to focus attention, this time, on their own professional career and on a commitment to one’s own well-being [75]. In this sense, the results connect with the need, indicated by Skovholt et al. [76], to balance self-care and to have specific means of professional and personal growth, becoming aware of experiences of professional success and balancing personal well-being throughout the career.

The degree of satisfaction with this experience was reflected in both work and personal aspects of the participants. At the work level, the participants reported that the experience allowed them to adjust their professional trajectories, establish priorities and determine realistic timeframes for achieving their goals (O1). According to Álvarez-Ramírez et al. [33], the achievement of professional and nonwork goals positively predicts well-being, which becomes manifest in the form of professional satisfaction, work-life balance, and psychological well-being. The participants also reported experiencing satisfaction with having increased their knowledge in the field of counseling and perceiving improvements in their practice as counselors (O3), as the CCP model provided them with new tools for aiding and accompanying the people with whom they must work (O6). They also noted an enrichment of their professional training, which offered them access to better job positions.

On a personal level, participants appreciated this process because it allowed them to self-assess their professional possibilities more effectively, increase their self-esteem, and rethink their personal life, thereby facilitating a balance between their professional project and their family and social spheres. Several authors [3,38,68] have noted that this type of action fosters the development of a stronger sense of professional identity, the acquisition of greater knowledge and skills, and the achievement of greater professional effectiveness (O5). The reconciliation of professional and family life is not always easy to achieve. Women, unlike men, can perceive family as an obstacle to work-family balance [41] without experiencing states of tension or stress. Therefore, the CCP model can be a positive tool that such individuals can use in the process of constructing a professional project.

Regarding the impact of the CCP model on career progression and employment status, most counselors improved their professional position after the self-application of the CCP model, which entails an optimization of their employability. The arguments for improvement focus on the goals of making specific achievements, deepening one’s own reflection and self-knowledge, and acquiring the skills and knowledge that are necessary for the self-management of one’s own professional project [29]. Counselors noted such achievements, which were made either by discovering and effectively adjusting their goals (S6) or by accessing better working conditions and reported greater personal and work satisfaction (S1).

The possibility of reflecting comprehensively on their life trajectories facilitated greater awareness of their experiences and life paths among counselors and allowed them to redefine future decisions based on the clarification, delimitation, and monitoring of the proposed goals (S5), thereby increasing their career adaptability. These results are in line with those reported by Argyropoulou et al. [49], who proposed that interventions concerning the construction of a vital and professional career could improve reflexivity and self-awareness regarding one’s own career projects. Additionally, a study conducted by Nakra and Kashyap [48] showed that career adaptability exerts a significant impact on career sustainability and predicts psychological well-being.

Similarly, the counselors noted that the self-knowledge they had achieved through the reflective activities proposed by the CCP model provided them with skills that enabled them to adapt to the changes inherent in the implementation of a professional project more effectively. This reflective capacity (S3) concerning life itself and the process of obtaining deep self-knowledge involves users’ mobilization of affective and emotional aspects. As shown in a previous study conducted by Álvarez-Ramírez et al. [33], increasingly, professions are prioritizing the affective and emotional spheres as facilitating factors in the process of constructing a professional project, and counselors with high levels of emotional intelligence have more motivation and are more involved in their tasks. The study conducted by Argyropoulou et al. [49] also showed that socio-labor counselors have emphasized professional training needs related to their own practice to help users and support their sustainable professional development. The socio-labor counselors who participated in this study confirmed that the self-application of the CCP model provided them with more positive perceptions of their professional skills, particularly their career management competencies. In this line, the results of this study are also linked to the need to have skills to prevent burnout, consistent with the work of Bressi and Vaden [76], and to increase resilience [77], being relevant to this is being able to recognize how your interactions in the workplace connect with your personal world and vice versa, a dimension that is also trained through the CCP model.

The self-application of the CCP model allowed counselors to become more aware of or improve their skills pertaining to the planning of their professional projects. Additionally, they reported having acquired new knowledge and new tools to support their performance as professionals in the field of counseling (O6). Moreover, the full development of skills and abilities that benefit professional performance and improve labor insertion was facilitated by this approach, thus resulting in increased professional competence [78]. The result is defined by Hirschi [79] as human capital, i.e., the ability of the person to meet performance expectations in their professional activity.

Regarding the counselors who stated that they had not obtained a better professional position after completing their professional project, most of their reasons referred to external situations (T1), such as the possibility of job offers or calls that allowed them to apply for and achieve a better position (https://revistalugardeencuentro.com/2022/02/09/apao-se-moviliza-contra-los-recortes-y-desaparicion-del-programa-andalucia-orienta/ (accessed on 16 June 2022)). In addition, it can be difficult to obtain a better professional position due to particular social contexts, such as unemployment (W1, W2) or the health situation caused by COVID-19 (W4). The CCP model provides ways of preparing more effectively and improving one’s professional positioning in the face of external barriers (W3). Accordingly, it is significant that many counselors who were unemployed assumed a more optimistic perspective regarding their future and the possibility of achieving their professional goals and felt that they were better prepared following the implementation of the CCP model. Only a few participants claimed that the professional project had not helped them clarify their goals because they had previously defined those goals autonomously or because they considered an assessment of the impact on their professional situation to be premature.

The possibility of identifying external factors as obstacles to the realization of a professional project suggests that counselors often guide and accompany people who do not achieve their desired job positions due to external and internal barriers. As shown by Hirschi et al. [19], the existence of a monitoring and feedback process—e.g., the CCP model—promotes dynamic adaptation and regulation in the face of expectations, resources, and personal or external barriers (W5) and promotes a balance between work and nonwork life. According to Álvarez-Ramírez et al. [5], to perform quality work, counselors must not face situations of work stress or burnout and must instead feel motivated with respect to their professional role. The second goal of this study was to analyze the social impact of socio-labor counseling actions regarding the SDGs proposed in the 2030 Agenda [80]. Different assessments were provided by the counselors who developed a professional project which pertained to different goals of the agenda. Socio-labor counseling was discussed as a profession that provides aid, support, and social support to enable the person receiving counseling to optimize their resources and implement a strategy to overcome difficulties, thus promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8) (O4). This accomplishment highlights the importance of responding to the diversity of individual needs in each life context [26,27,28], thereby making a specific contribution to the inclusion and promotion of opportunities (SDG 4).

Second, the counselors highlighted the relationship between counseling tasks and the environment, which should be considered part of the construction process of a professional project. Counseling is understood as offering the possibility to understand the environment more accurately and to generate new forms of relationships that promote better professional and personal development. Socio-labor counseling that supports access to decent, sustainable jobs in accordance with the possibilities and expectations of each person has been promoted (SDG 11). According to Savickas, in a changing context, interventions are required to help generate a greater capacity for adaptation as part of career self-management skills [19,42,44], thus offering individuals some degree of control and reducing their uncertainty regarding future projections.

Third, counseling for the self-construction of a career was identified as offering the possibility of promoting inclusion from various perspectives. These perspectives included the generation of protection policies that facilitate the labor inclusion of people facing situations of poverty or those in especially vulnerable groups. Consequently, counseling must assume interventions that seek improvements in human capital to promote social and economic development [78], considering the high and increasing number of people who are at risk and vulnerable.

Finally, a relationship between counseling and the labor market was identified, which involved the development of employability or entrepreneurship skills from the perspective of sustainable consumption and production because of social needs (SDGs 9 and 12). In response to job insecurity (T2), entrepreneurship can also be an option in people’s professional and work trajectories [55]. Thus, options should be integrated into actions in the context of the development of a professional project, in this case, using the CCP model. The concept of the contribution of a professional project to the development of better employability [11] must be viewed in terms of personal aspects pertaining to the identification of capacities and resources as well as from external perspectives with the aim of understanding employability by reference to external resources and job opportunities and possibilities. Therefore, this task must be approached from both perspectives.

The high self-perception of career management skills among counselors seems logical given that, on the one hand, they are forced to maintain their employability due to the high temporality of this professional sector (T4), while on the other hand, this group represents the key link in public services that help the unemployed population. To some extent, this duality justifies the possibilities offered by the self-application and transfer of the model, alongside monitoring and support, to the people and groups who need it most (T3).

Socio-labor counseling is a tool that can be used to support actions that comply with the SDGs, thereby increasing the visibility and social value of counselors’ work and their actions to contribute to social sustainability (T5). Therefore, such counseling can be viewed as one of the main ways to achieve the goals of the agenda. The importance of socio-labor counseling highlights the need to incorporate such counseling throughout life, which promotes the design of professional and personal projects in an equitable, sustainable manner and ensures decent work for each person [12]. In this context, the impact that the CCP model has shown among guidance professionals represents a positive contribution to favor progress in achieving the SDGs.

5. Limitations and Prospective

Some limitations and challenges of this study must be acknowledged. Although an interpretive approach was used, a larger sample covering other geographical areas may have been informative. Given the personal, narrative, and reflective character of this type of process, such an approach would require extensive personal involvement on the part of participants, thus affecting collaboration and causing their participation to become nearly a vocational dimension of their professional role. It takes time to process, analyze and interpret all the information provided by the participants, considering data collected from situated, professional and social contexts, with the aim of improving our understanding of the object of study. Finally, the very nature of this research, which is delimited by a mixed methodology featuring a predominantly interpretative and critical approach, incurs more costs than other types of research design.

However, the potential for the generalization of this approach depends on whether, in connection with SDGs, this model or another similar model is transferred in a functional manner to the public policies that determine the characteristics and duration of this type of social action program. By providing aid and resources, socio-labor counseling and job placement services can be promoted with the goal of driving change toward sustainability. In this manner, a fundamental approach to the task of achieving the SDGs relies on the greater visibility and social recognition of the role of counselors by ensuring better ac-accessibility to their services for the entire population.

With respect to prospective actions, the specific dimension of gender should be included in the study of the professional development of counselors, which is a particularly “feminized” field, as should the role-played using information and communications technologies in the self-application of the model. It is also necessary to address the impact of this approach on SDGs using a quantitative or mixed methodological approach, particularly regarding how the model impacts other specific groups facing vulnerable situations both socially and occupationally.

6. Conclusions

The implementation of the CCP model in the professional career of the participating socio-labor counselors has had a positive impact both in terms of their satisfaction with this model and their assessments of its usefulness for sustainable professional actions and the progression of sustainable careers. Socio-labor counselors felt that the CCP model encouraged the development of career management competencies and encouraged more sustainable career and life paths. Thus, it was in alignment with their own values, expectations, and interests and gave rise to opportunities for and promoted the well-being of other people (objective 1). Accordingly, the CCP model was assessed positively regarding its capacities to guide social sustainability actions and to facilitate the search for autonomy and personal self-determination (objective 2).

The self-application of the CCP model allowed counselors to increase their skills (strengths S) in discovering and consolidating professional goals as well as planning and establishing timeframes for the achievement of the proposed goals.

The weaknesses (W) identified involved a temporal factor. The weaknesses highlighted the need to develop skills that allow counselors to adapt to rapid changes in the environment regarding both them and the users they serve, who require immediate responses that can sometimes be difficult to provide, particularly given the available resources.

This study also identified threats (T) from the political and administrative environment as related to public policies pertaining to the financing of socio-labor counseling programs. These programs are time-limited, which hinders continuity in the actions taken to meet constant needs and often forces counselors to continue searching for employment. Discontinuous progression, instability, and high temporality frequently characterize careers in this field.

The study also concluded that the CCP model helps increase the possibilities of satisfactory career management for counselors while providing an element of methodological innovation because it can be used to help people receiving counseling generate their own self-management skills. This possibility offers the opportunity to introduce methodological improvements into existing models of action and mitigate their insufficiencies.

In summary, the self-application of the CCP model is useful not only for users but also for counselors. As such, the extent to which counselors can transfer knowledge regarding the development of a professional project may result in social well-being because of their counseling actions. Consequently, this study claims to make a relevant contribution to the vocational psychology literature.