Change is the new constant, making adaptability essential for survival in today’s dynamic work landscape and ever-evolving world. However, from a young age, humans have a psychological need for stability, consistency and predictability. These elements foster the attributes and conditions necessary for positive physical, psychological, emotional and social outcomes.
So change – whether it involves learning, unlearning or relearning – can be difficult and it takes time. The process often varies as individuals pass through the stages of change. Nurturing the willingness and the motivation to change therefore requires effort towards inner change. Ultimately, meaningful change must come from within.
This article is the third in a four-part series. Our previous advice resources covered the importance of addressing students’ psycho-social-emotional aspects in personal and professional development during uncertain times. We also shared the benefits of embracing hardship and change as vital life skills, and creating a psychologically safe environment that fosters psycho-socio-emotional exploration and readiness for growth during life transitions.
- Psychological safety can be a positive, powerful influence on learning environments
- Universities owe it to society to produce good citizens
- How can we help students manage frustration and build resilience?
Five steps towards adaptability, resilience and psychological growth
Our tailored, evidence-based psychosocial intervention programme, Sailing Through Life and My Career Path (SLCP), draws on theory and evidence of post-traumatic growth and career construction. This resource outlines the five consecutive intervention stages aimed at nurturing students on their journeys toward adaptability, resilience and psychological growth.
Stage 1: Strengthen self-esteem and readiness for personal growth
The first stage aims to boost students’ sense of control and autonomy in their personal choices and goals. Students participate in a decision-making game in which they choose between two options, such as “working overtime for financial compensation” or “leaving office punctually with less income”. It encourages students to identify barriers that hinder their personal growth and how the intervention might prepare them to cope with transitions and find optimal self-development, increasing their readiness to participate in the programme.
Stage 2: Explore authentic interests and values to buffer against external influences
At this stage, students are guided to recognise their authentic interests and values better. Art-making and reflective exercises encourage students to explore their authentic interests and values in comparison with those influenced by their family, peers, social media and societal norms by their parents. The increased self-awareness boosts their motivation and autonomy in setting and pursuing realistic and personal goals, enhancing their academic- and career-related decision-making.
Stage 3: Unleash inner strengths and find freedom from emotional bondage
The third stage focuses on recognising emotional challenges that stem from past personal adversities and psychological traumas. By using a personalised metaphor to externalise, re-interpret and restructure these emotions, students learn to leverage their strengths as tools for achieving a greater sense of self-efficacy and hope. The activity uses structured reflective prompts to reduce intrusive memories and re-traumatisation, while school counsellors stay informed and available for student support.
Stage 4: Nurture decision-making self-efficacy to overcome stagnation
This stage focuses on building students’ confidence in making academic and career choices by inviting them to share the ups and downs of their life journeys. The process helps them address stagnations that lead to indecision and dilemmas and reduce their overall quality of life. Students then reflect on past successes in decision-making, recognising how these strategies helped them navigate the stagnations. The storytelling journey enhances their sense of agency and integrity to approach decisions in future transitions with greater confidence and certainty.
Stage 5: Rehearse personal and career identities for the way forward
The final stage integrates students’ diverse life experiences into a cohesive identity narrative, helping them to understand their values and motivations. This process creates a “compass” for navigating future uncertainties while remaining authentic to themselves, enhancing their confidence and inspiration to achieve personal life goals. Ultimately, this stage fosters adaptability, resilience and psychological growth, preparing students for ongoing challenges in their academic, career and personal lives.
Embracing change and empowering growth through integration
The future of work will increasingly demand technological, higher cognitive and social and emotional skills, prompting higher education institutions to provide more targeted learning and support experiences that address the developmental needs of students, allowing them to navigate complex professional landscapes effectively. A career is a lifelong journey of self-exploration and advancement, and emerging adulthood is a critical phase for higher education to set the foundation to empower students to manage diverse past, present and anticipated stressors.
While students often discuss career and mental health issues when seeking support services, these areas are typically addressed separately. By integrating mental health and career counselling, we can adopt a holistic approach to the intertwined psycho-social, emotional, academic and career needs of university students. This integration helps students connect with their inner selves – identifying their strengths, values and goals – and the outside world, considering societal influences and career options. Such vital integration encourages them to move beyond past experiences and cultivate and exercise interconnected inner resources, enabling proactive and positive responses to ongoing significant changes and challenges during this pivotal life stage.
Kathleen Chim is programme director and associate head of the division of health; Lai Tsz Chui is a part-time research associate; and Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan is dean. All are in the Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
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