In the field of career counseling, communication difficulties between practitioners, researchers, and theorists have been observed for many years. Part of this problem may be related to the lack of a common model of the career counseling process. To fill this research gap, this conceptual article introduces the 5As model, an overarching, integrative, and transtheoretical model that consists of five phases (Attending, Analyzing, Agreeing, Activating, and Accompanying) and 14 steps. The relevance of this model for theoretical and research purposes is detailed. The 5As model helps draw attention to overlooked yet serious challenges and opportunities for the field.
Shékina Rochat (2026) studied this question.