Book Club

A Coming of Age: Counselling Canadians for Work in the Twentieth Century
By The Counselling Foundation of Canada, 2002
ISBN: 0-9687840-2-X

A beautiful and fascinating work, this historical overview of career counselling in Canada begins at the turn of the last century and carefully documents the movements and working lives of Canadians through 11 chapters up until the present day. In the words of Vance Peavy: “when the lives of people change, then things like counselling must also change, in order to be appropriate and sensible in the new context.”

Based on transcripts from hundreds of hours of interviews commissioned from career counsellors across Canada, the milestones and accomplishments of the community are richly supported by intriguing photographs and informative biographical anecdotes. The influences of politicians, economics, education and communities are duly noted, but it is the stories of dedicated individuals which are truly inspiring. If names like Etta St. John Wileman, Frank Lawson, Morgan Parmenter and Gerald Cosgrave are unfamiliar, this book will enlighten as the entire matrix of career development and counselling in Canada is covered from coast to coast, with emphasis on the individuals who gave birth to the ideas and institutions we have today.

The dawn of co-operative education, national policies, vocational guidance and the introduction of applied psychology, as well as the struggle for professional legitimacy are thoroughly covered in this highly enjoyable journey through counselling history. Finishing with a look forward to the implications of technology in career development as a profession and the evolving national community, A Coming of Age stands alone as an important part of Canadian social history. Well-written, well-researched and well worth the time, this book will intrigue counsellors, historians and anyone interested in the development of Canadian Society.

Review by: James Vandervoort – Practicum Student with Contact Point
George Brown College, Career & Work Counsellor Program

Mentoring And The World Of Work: A Reference Model 
By Christine Cuerrier
Les Editions de la Fondation de l’entrepreneurship, 2001
ISBN: 2-89521-029-2

This book is an easily read, well laid-out and thorough documentation of eighteen mentoring stories from Quebec. After a useful foreword and glossary, the reader dives right into the history and theoretical background of mentoring. Specifically, the objective for this book is “to create a promising model for developing mentoring in Quebec and elsewhere.”

The eighteen mentoring stories described are deconstructed with results achieved and a discussion of additional questions raised-evaluation and methodology are at the heart of each story. All styles of learning would benefit from this book as each section is a combination of text, comparative tables, graphs and bullet point summaries.

Areas of discussion include mentoring coordinators’ duties, gender related points, mentoring functions and premises as well as an overall conclusion and look at issues in developing mentoring in Quebec. Seven appendices and a bibliography make this work very much a work/ study guide through all the possibilities that a mentoring program might provide. A very detailed five part Questionnaire at the end of the book could serve as a model for someone interested in starting a mentoring program as all aspects are covered-from context and operation through matching and evaluation.

According to the author, “Knowing how to do and how to be is what mentoring really seeks to accomplish.” This book definitely provides an inside and proven look at how to do mentoring and also how it can be in other (i.e. outside of the Quebec) contexts. Useful for anyone interested in starting or ‘trouble-shooting’ a mentoring program.

Review by: James Vandervoort – Practicum Student with Contact Point
George Brown College, Career & Work Counsellor Program