The aim of this paper is to describe a vocational guidance workshop that took place in a Brazilian public high school, with students of the 3rd year (17 to 20 years old). The workshop had eight sessions, two hours each. It was based on a psychosocial approach, including a critical point of view about society and work. Its main objective was to expand the individuals’ consciousness about the surrounding context (school, family, work) and to foster an attitude of active participation towards the determinants of professional choice. In this paper, we describe the workshop procedures, including group techniques and open qualitative questionnaires, designed specifically for the workshop. Together with the students, we discussed the following subjects: school experiences, ideals of personal success and the characteristics of some professions. We also asked the students to do research about the professions using interviews. After the workshop, the students reported that they were more confident about their future plans and more prepared to make a professional choice.
Vocational guidance; Public education; High school; Psychosocial intervention
