12/01/2025
How Career Practitioners Can Support Clients Through Holiday and Work Stress
By Regina Gavin Williams and Jennifer Barrow
The holiday season can produce significant stress for individuals. According to a poll from the American Psychological Association (APA, 2023), 89% of adults in the United States indicated they experience stressors during the holiday season due to situations such as missing loved ones, financial strains, and anticipation of family conflict. These holiday seasonal stressors can be particularly challenging for individuals who are also experiencing increased workplace stressors and burnout simultaneously. These challenges in turn can cause issues in maintaining work-life balance and a decline in employee productivity (Salemi, 2024). According to a 2024 Monster survey, 41% of employees check emails and 23% still send work-related emails during their holiday break (Salemi, 2024). Attending annual holiday work parties can be known to cause worry and stress for employees as well (Smith & Tischler, 2015). By recognizing the intersection of holiday stressors and work-related concerns, career practitioners can provide person-centered, holistic support for clients experiencing increased stress during the holiday season.
Establishing a Safe Space to Address Stressors
One of the essential steps career practitioners can take is offering a safe, non-judgmental space where their clients can express their concerns openly and honestly. Using communication skills such as active listening, minimal encouragers (e.g., nodding and verbal affirmations), and reflection of feelings can provide an opportunity for clients to feel validated and supported. Acknowledging the client’s feelings without minimizing their concerns will create a trusting working relationship between client and career practitioners.
For example, a client who is overwhelmed by work deadlines, while caregiving for children on school holidays and supporting aging parents, may benefit from having their experiences normalized, and receiving support by conceptualizing how each priority is impacting their overall well-being. Career practitioners can help support clients by exploring workplace options with them and discussing possible interventions, including setting goals that align with their personal and professional priorities.
Goal Setting Using the WDEP System
The end of the calendar year may be a busy period for many employees as they attempt to meet pending deadlines. In this regard, career practitioners can help clients navigate work deadlines during the holiday season by using the Wants, Doing, Evaluation, and Planning (WDEP) System, a practical framework used in Reality Therapy, based on choice theory (Wubbolding, 2002). To apply this model effectively, the career practitioner can guide clients through the following steps:
- Explore the client’s wants. What do they desire to achieve both personally and professionally during the holiday season?
- Assess what the client is currently doing to meet these goals. Identify any actions that may be interfering and contributing to their stress.
- Evaluation: This step involves discussing the effectiveness of these actions and how they align with the client's values and priorities.
- Planning: Finally, the planning phase can allow the client to develop a realistic action plan. This can include evaluating their calendar demands, leveraging their personal and professional networks for support, and determining which commitments are essential versus those that can be realigned or declined.
This structured approach can help clients clarify their goals and empower them to make informed decisions about their time management during a busy holiday period.
Seeking Mental Health Counseling
In some cases, career practitioners may need to refer the client to licensed mental health counselors or other professionals when their needs move beyond the scope of career services. Licensed clinicians can help individuals who are experiencing heightened or persistent holiday stress, offering stress management interventions such as mindfulness techniques, guidance on setting healthy boundaries, and strategies for maintaining routines that promote well-being (such as engaging in regular physical activity). A clinician may also be able to address increased anxiety surrounding holiday work parties through cognitive-behavior therapy (Aldao, 2019). Working with a licensed clinician can give clients deeper insight and structured support, helping them to manage stress more effectively and maintain balance during the holiday season.
Exploring Workplace Options
Heightened stress during the holidays may result in deeper dissatisfaction for clients dealing with less ideal work environments. This may present a pivotal moment to re-evaluate career opportunities. Career practitioners can support this reflection by helping clients assess their current roles, identify values, and explore alternatives. Incorporating values exploration into this process can enhance clients' clarity about what truly matters to them, guiding their decision-making and career choices. According to Hayes et al. (2005), values clarification is a key component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps individuals align their actions with their core values to foster greater fulfillment and resilience in their careers.
For instance, career practitioners can facilitate a values clarification exercise by guiding clients through a series of reflective activities, such as identifying their top five values related to work, discussing how these values manifest in their current roles, and exploring potential career paths that align more closely with their identified value. By integrating values clarification into practice, career practitioners can empower clients to make informed and meaningful career decisions that lead to greater satisfaction and alignment with their personal and professional aspirations.
Holistic Support
The holiday season can heighten stress for individuals, especially those facing workplace challenges, making it crucial for career practitioners to offer holistic support. By creating a safe space for clients to express their concerns, utilizing the WDEP system for goal setting, and encouraging collaboration with mental health counselors when needed, career practitioners can help clients effectively navigate these stressors. This approach empowers clients to explore their values and make informed career decisions, fostering resilience and well-being during this demanding time.
References
Aldao, A. (2015). Managing the stress around the office party: Five tips for making the best out of them. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sweet-emotion/201911/managing-the-stress-around-the-office-party
American Psychological Association. (2023). Even a joyous holiday season can cause stress for most Americans. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/11/holiday-season-stress
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2005). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006
Salemi, V. (2024). Holiday work-life balance poll 2024. Monster. https://www.monster.com/career-advice/job-search/news-and-insights/holiday-work-life-balance-poll-2024
Smith, K. J., & Tischler, R. J. (2015). Keeping the company holiday party holly and jolly for all. Employment Relations Today, 42(3),79–85.
Wubbolding, R. E. (2002). Reality therapy: A new approach to personal growth. Routledge.
Regina Gavin Williams, PhD, LCMHC (NC), QS, NCC, is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Director of the Career Counseling Program in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. She is also a licensed clinical mental health counselor (NC) working in private practice. Her research focuses on the college and career readiness, adult self-sufficiency and mental health/wellness of adolescents aging out of the foster care system, with a secondary research focus related to the intersection of career development and diversity. Her teaching interests include career counseling, multicultural and gender issues in counseling, and supervised practicum in counseling. She currently serves as the Best Practices Grant Chair on the North Carolina Career Development Association Executive Board. She can be reached at rwill233@nccu.edu.
Jennifer Barrow, PhD, LCMHCS, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor and veteran professional school counselor. Dr. Barrow serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at North Carolina Central University, where she directs the School Counseling and Testing Programs. She can be reached at jbarrow4@nccu.edu.