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IS IT POSSIBLE THAT VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE CAN HELP THE PROSPECT OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN TODAY'S GREEK REALITY?

As a person with special needs, is usually defined a person who differs from the general population (emotionally, physically, neurologically, psychologically, sensually) due to an accident, illness or other developmental problems...,edited by Stelios Crassas

Stelios C. Crassas 15-September-2006

Introduction

As a person with special needs, is usually defined a person who differs from the general population (emotionally, physically, neurologically, psychologically, sensually) due to an accident, illness or other developmental problems. In Greece, according to the law 2817/2000, a person with special needs is considered the person who has serious difficulties in learning or adjusting due to physical, psychological, mental, emotional or social specialty. Generally, the term people with special needs refer to children or adults with special educational and social needs. The educational needs are created because of the difficulty they deal with (because of disability, illness, emotional or psychological disorder) in attending and in taking complete advantage of the general educational program. The social needs are outcomes of behavioral disorders or emotional problems, which prevent their adjustment in the society.

It is a fact that people with special needs- disabilities face obstacles, usually, in their education and in their professional life that derive from the lack or inefficiency of institutions and services that can help them face their special needs, as well as from the perception of others towards them (Sidiropoulou- Dimakakou & Dimitropoulos, 1988). Due to these obstacles they usually feel less efficient than the others, instantly or generally, while they confront more intensely the prospect of unemployment or part time employment or even the employment without having any interest. The result is the difficulty or the weakness of accession of these people in the productive process and the difficulty of functioning as independent members of the society. So, we cannot talk about social accession if it is not firstly achieved the successful transition (professional rehabilitation) of these people with special needs in the labor market.

However, disability is not always an obstacle. Medicine is trying to cure or moderate these problems, the supporting services (psychologists, counselors of vocational guidance, psychiatrists, social workers and school instructors) are trying to remove or diminish the obstacles that arise, despite the fact that the disability can be or cannot be diminished, while taking also into account the social surrounding in which the person lives. Some people believe (Herr & Cramer, 1996) that people with disabilities should be considered as a group with deficits and they should be taken into account their problems or special needs not only as a disability but also a problem with social effects.

Statistically, in an international level (Herr & Cramer, 1996), a 10% of a country's population faces such problems that burden, restrain or differentiate the educational or professional choices of people with disabilities. In a society that is self-defined as developing or developmental, the search of what is politically correct should be able to give solutions to the problems that members face. The last few years, in Greece, these issues are confronted with sensitivity. Our co-citizens with disabilities and with special needs are taken care of, at least in an institutional level. Efforts are being made for eliminating the terms such as: deaf, blind, abnormal, retarded e.t.c.

Professional Development of People with Disabilities

Throughout the years, and especially nowadays, people that don't belong in higher social layers face difficulties in their vocational rehabilitation although they have higher educational level. As it was mentioned above, it is common that people with disabilities face special difficulties in their professional development, despite the fact that difficulties differentiate according to the kind or the grade of the disability. Actually indeed, there are strong diversifications even between people with the same disability or even between crippled persons or the persons of the general population.

For sure, crippled persons face specific difficulties and obstacles which diminish their career choices (amongst the variety of the existing educational and vocational choices) as the disability, many times, can be restrictive for the education, training or practicing a certain profession.

People with disabilities face also suspiciousness from their employers or possible prejudice from teachers and counselors of vocational guidance. Undoubtedly, there is the danger of stigmatization that affects the confrontation of problems of disabled people, although that this confrontation depends on the kind of the disability (e.g. mental disorder - dyslexia).

Such kind of attitudes and perceptions are about to be settled while many stereotype perceptions are changing with the contact of the general population with the disabled people and by accepting everyone as a human being. It is important, in the frame of accepting all people with disabilities and special needs, that we are able to "walk in their shoes" (a game of roles in the classroom will be useful for the children to see what is like to be a kid that moves for example in a wheelchair, so as to realize the effort this child makes in order to attend the classroom).

Wrong perceptions that are created in the society (stereotypes) for sure are not helping the vocational development of disabled people. These perceptions can lead (the disabled people, the educators, and the vocational guidance counselors): a) to early exclusion from the career for disabled people (less chances for exploration and information about the professions, rejection of professional chances e.t.c), b) to difficulties in decision making (the disabled people have less chances to cultivate their chances for making their decisions), c) to low self-esteem (negative attitudes of the society leads to stereotypes that can create to disabled people and people with special needs low levels of self- esteem).

Each disability has its own characteristics that refer to the professional development of the person. In the effort of guiding vocationally people with special needs, the counselors, for the last years focus on the transition, a term and concept that show the importance of giving help to human so as to make them able to be incorporated in the social, economical and the labor environment, in which they can act on their own, with its own strengths.

Vocational Guidance for People with Special Needs

How can Vocational Guidance Counselors help a person with special needs-disabilities, throughout the restrictions that are posed, to have a right career? What's going on with Vocational Guidance?

Firstly, to face these issues of Vocational Guidance for people with special needs, it is demanded to provide special services, as well as to make the necessary arrangements for the education, training and employment. The help provided as actions of Vocational Guidance is vital. In the context of the functioning of Vocational Guidance there should be some programs designed:

• For educational and vocational information
• For counseling support for making educational and career decisions
• For acquiring transition skills to the labor market
• For training Vocational Guidance Counselors in issues of disabilities
• For informing and sensitizing the employers

The skills a person with disabilities and special needs should have and the educational and vocational needs are:

• Skills and possibilities for transportation, education and training taking account the requirements of the disability (e.g. moving on a wheelchair)
• Skills for using and handling instruments and machinery
• The ability to be collaborative and productive keeping up with the requirements of its work
• The ability of self-service, in a level of hygiene, in the work field
• The need of supplying motivation in order to maintain its work position and to develop in it
• The development of a sense of contentment and security (sense of belonging) for its work
• The understanding that there are people who care for them and that they should care for their colleagues.
• The need to feel self-confident as a reward because they earned it
• The vivification of their self-esteem and the completion of their personality
• The need to feel the social acceptance of their disability

In the counseling process, counselors should follow the next steps:

STAGE A': IDENTIFICATION

Objective of the counselee- identification of the problem

The first stage of the counseling process is the identification of the goal-objective, of the problem set by the counselee, the clarification and the particularization of it. At this point, it is important to add, at least in a theory basis, that counseling people with special needs does not differ from the process followed for all other persons of the general population. In a practical level this does not really stand, because a person with disabilities presents unique issues that are not commonly presented at the counseling process by the general population. At this stage, the counselor should know and admit his limits (e.g. knowledge of the certain disability) and should show positive attitude towards the counselee. That means that the counselor should behave to the counselee as an adult, despite the seriousness of the disability, use appropriate words and techniques for the age of the counselee, emphasize on the capabilities of the counselee and respect his values and principles.

Gathering information concerning the counselee

In the effort of developing an effective context of help - collaboration it is important to gather as many information as possible for the specific situation of the counselee (Herr & Cramer, 1996). For example, by asking the counselee how he feels about himself, the others and the world we can reveal important elements for the beginning of the vocational search process. An other question that should be asked is affiliated with the personal and environmental limits - fragments - obstacles or limitations in which the person is obligated to live. The answers to these questions can give the Counselor elements concerning the difficulties that the counselor has faced including the limitations in his life experiences, his feelings of deficit - because of social or other discriminations - or because of failure, due to his education or ineffective career designing. A third bunch of questions, very important for people with special needs, concerns the way they make decisions. By asking the counselee how he makes his decisions, we can get information on the way he decides and designs his future (Gyspers et. al, 1998).

Understanding and adopting the behavior of the counselee

At the end of this first stage of the counseling process we can understand and adopt the possible behaviors of the counselee. By gathering information concerning his opinions (Dimitropoulos, 1998), his personal and environmental limits and limitations, as well as the way he makes decisions, the Counselor and the counselee can act upon the hypothesis that these information gathered are relating with the process of his vocational development. The identification of the specific disability that is affiliated with other factors (including the family, social and educational environment) is especially useful for the focus of the counselor's and counselee's actions.

STAGE B': FOCALIZATION

Resolution of the objective - problem of the counselee

At this stage, the counselor and the counselee take actions that start with the encouragement of positive vocational opportunities, identification of specific professional goals, designing of appropriate steps for programming and achieving the goals set.

Taking action

The counseling process for people with special needs, as well as for people of the general population, is good to start by using the data of the counseling theory and the evaluation instruments. It is important, as mentioned above, to remember that, during our approach for counseling people with special needs, we should treat these people as adults, using the appropriate - considering the age of the counselee - vocabulary, emphasizing in their potential and respecting their values. For example, a youngster at the age 17 who is seeking help for the transition in the labor market can be held back because of a mental retardation. At that case we should behave to this person as we would have behaved in a youngster, respecting his goals and functioning, after considering the prerequisites that are set by his needs. On the other side, this process should personalize so as we are able to understand his needs, wants, capabilities and weaknesses.

The processes of estimation and evaluation can help us reveal the potentials of the counselee and how they can be improved. Surely, the instruments that we will use should be standardized in the population. The evaluation of a person with mental retardation by the use of an instrument for example, for vocational interests that have been standardized only in people of the general population, is useless.

Finally, we should remember that the disability of the counselee has an impact to his family, to his friends so other people can prove to be useful to the counseling process. At the past, many counselors disregarded the importance of these relations. So, it is good to try and include in the counseling process a member of the family or a friend, in order to extend our help to the counselee farther on. To implicate an "important other" can be a crucial element for the counseling process.

Development of career goals, designs and actions

In Vocational Guidance, succeeding the goals, demands effective participation of the counselee throughout the procedure. When we develop vocational goals, the disabled should be encouraged to take on the responsibility for gathering information concerning their self, the professions and the labor market, to create and evaluate alternatives, to make decisions and to design plans of actions, to set in action career plans and to evaluate its' results.

The counselor should intervene in many ways in order to help the accomplishment of goals set by the person. These interventions can include systems for career planning, evaluation instruments, workshops and specially designed portfolios for people with special needs. Interventions concerning issues of transition from school to work, programs of placement in the labor market, collaborative education, school associations or public corporations can prove to be useful. Two main approaches are useful for counseling people with special needs. The first one is working in a protected environment that offers support and allows disabled people to work (Gyspers et. al, 1998). The second one is the possibility to adjust the working spaces in the needs of disabled people so as to lift the obstacles that doesn't allow these persons to reach the working places. These two approaches can help the counselor discover the real vocational perspectives. Of course, for people with special needs, who belong in a heterogeneous group, no approach can be perfect or be generalized. That' s why, as with all the other counselees, we should have an eclectic approach based on the need of each person, lifting the existing obstacles, expanding the horizon of every person and supporting him in his transition to the labor market.

STAGE C': EVALUATION

As it is already mentioned, the active participation of the person is the key to the success of the goals of the counseling procedure. An important matter rising, through this procedure, is whether the counselee was activated:

• In gathering information
• In creating alternatives and evaluating them
• In designing an action plan

The success depends on the answer of the questions mentioned above. Important elements are also the procedures of after monitoring the person's course, after the end of the counseling procedure. The success of the counselee's goals depends on his ability to use the information resources. This can be taught by the Counselor. The counselees, who can manage to use the data of the community they live in, can transfer the experience of the counseling to the life field.

EDUCATION - TRAINING - ORIENTATION OF PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Unfortunately, today's reality, concerning people with special needs employment is disappointing. Many disabled are either unemployed or work part time. The possibilities for employment meet many difficulties because of the limited experiences these persons have or because of the decisions they make. Additionally, the social community believes that if a person is disabled, automatically is unable to work (Crassas, 2000). So, people with special needs feel socially excluded and discouraged (Sidiropoulou- Dimakakou & Dimitropoulos, 1998). So, the need for amending career counseling through an approach by which people with special needs can develop their skills and for the Counselors to develop techniques and skills so that they will be able to solve the problems of the disabled person, appears to be crucial (Dimitropoulos, 1998). Despite all these, people with special needs, when they have the chance to work, they 'shine' in all sectors in which they are employed. There are many examples of people with special needs that have achieved great things in their vocation but also in the society.

The main problem that people with special needs face while accessing the labor market is gathering information for themselves, for the vocations and for the labor market (Drummond & Ryan, 1995). Also a) they feel much insecure, because they don' t have or have little experience in the work field, because they are used in living in a protected or family environment, b) they have an inability to access the labor market and to be a part of the human resource, despite the fact that many of them have many vocational qualifications, c) they face many prejudices and isolation from the social community, d) they face serious difficulties in accessing the work places, because in most cases, the appropriate infrastructure to cope with their special needs doesn't exists (e.g. the buildings, the means of transportation or the streets are difficult to access by kinetically disabled, by the blind and the deaf people because there aren't special accoutrements that could help them e.t.c).

Taking into account all these, people with special needs/disabilities are forced, even after the educational procedure, training and vocational counseling, to follow or to be orientated in few vocations that are usually having less to do with their values, their interests and their skills, because they have to choose amongst vocations that are offered by social or providence carriers. Even today, the international practice is based upon creating secure workrooms where they can be employed (Herr & Cramer, 1996) while they have also consecrated financial aid for employers for hiring and employing people with special needs.

Also, children with special needs and disabilities are vulnerable or follow (especially if their disability exists since the birth of the child or from childhood) their parents choices or those who are related with their social status (Isaacson & Brown, 1993). It is proved that people who became disabled when they were adults tend to chose vocations that are related with their choices before they became disabled whereas congenital disabled people are driven to vocational choices according to their parents' expectations, their social status or their experienced environment (Crassas, 2000). But even after the employment and the stay of a disabled person in a job, as it was mentioned above, there are many factors implicated such as the motives given for staying in the job, the limitations imposed due to the specific disability (transportation, modulation of the occupational environment, needs for day offs for possible treatments if needed...)

With the new facts of the European Union (Communal Programs - policy - harmonization of legislation - intervention in the access and transfer - exit of people with special needs in the society) there were some additional chances introduced for education, training and employment. In this context, many programs of training took place and they were given chances/motives to employers (financial support, tax exemption e.t.c) for employing and hiring people with special needs (E.U, 1992, 1998b). The cost for these is usually covered financially by the Community Support Programs. Also the interventions, in large cities, in the means of transportation (for the access of people with special needs) and the financial aid in a level of colloquial administration for the accessibility of public spaces and buildings (pace guides for people with sight problems, creation of ramps in the pavements, parking spaces for disabled people e.t.c) especially at the capital city because of the Olympic Games, gave the impression that a climate of accepting and welcoming people with special needs was created so as the civilizing of cities is accomplished and to give the opportunity to all people to access every spot of the city. Despite all these, we cannot say that all obstacles were overcome, serious obstacles such as social stigmatization for example remain, while the training programs functioned and are still functioning as "pilots" of the Community Support Programs, the interventions made for the accessibility are disused at the same time, the employments are limited and are implemented only as long as the financial aid lasts.

On the other side, bad information and negative attitude of employers need a coordinated policy of carriers (education, provision, and labor e.t.c) and a unified strategy for confronting the problems of vocational accession and employment of people with special needs. This effort may become easier if the employers get to know the disabled employees. That means if they realize that they have to deal with people who, despite their physical weaknesses, have the necessary qualifications in order to work. In addition, if they learn what is anticipated by the legislation for the employment, what are the advantages, the facilitations and their obligations for hiring and employing them and in which services can facilitate them in finding solutions to such issues.

Specifically, it is necessary:

• To sensitize the employers about the special problems people with special needs have in their vocational preparation and accession.
• Informing the employers about the abilities people with special needs have.
• To raise the social discriminations and prejudices on behalf of the employers.
• To inform about the institutional context that stands for people with special needs, in order that the employers get to know the advantages if they collaborate with them, as well as their obligations (Crassas, 2000).

The most serious cause of the social exclusion as well as one consequence is the exemption from the labor market. This exemption becomes more intense the last few decades, where many different groups of the population are blocked from the labor market, as well as from participating in public goods and generally in the social being. This leads to the continuous increase of antisocial phenomenon, such as racism, criminality and other extreme manifestations between the social groups that claim places in the labor market (E.U, 1998a).

The phenomenon of blockade from the labor market of people with special needs appears throughout the whole European Union. Despite all these, the less developed districts, as Greece, show inadequacy in preparing for covering the special needs of these people. Main goal of the policy of employing people with special needs, should be their accession to life in an insecure environment and their employment in an equal basis with the rest of the population and not the development of a policy of social help that would have as a result the blockade from the possibility of having a true and self-dependent development.

Additionally, it is necessary to mention that disabled people are threatened to be in the margin, not only because of the special characteristics, but also because of the continuously increasing implementation of the new technologies and the enforcement of the competitiveness that is due to completion of the inner market. It is a debit of every society to help these groups of the population, which, for special reasons, face great difficulties in accessing the social and professional life.

The European Union (1997) gives many opportunities concerning the promotion of equality, the secureness of the major rights and the elimination of discriminations. Especially, the Union, amongst others, takes specific measures for the fighting off the discriminations caused by the disability, not only for enforcing the social justice but also for financial reasons, in order for all to have the opportunity to participate and to contribute in the society's economical well being.

The vocational rehabilitation of the people who are at disadvantage in general is not only a matter of confronting the average living standard problem that face most part of these groups, but mostly it is a matter of including these people in the work field and generally into life. The disabled have interests, abilities, and values that should be taken under consideration during the period of the preparation but also during the accession. So, the "strategic goal" of the efforts should be the amelioration of accessing the labor market as well as the competitiveness of people and their vocational rehabilitation in case of blockade.

This procedure cannot refer only to the individual but it should endorse all is environment: family, friends, school, organizations, local community, and employment carrier e.t.c. The main goal is to help the individual entering the community not only by supporting the individual but also by sensitizing or educating the proximate at least, educational, vocational and social environment, so as to accept and endorse it.

PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION & COUNSELLING OF PEOPLE UNDERGOING OR UNDERGONE TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE

INTRODUCTION:

The promotion of employment and the connection with the labour market constitute the aim and the means for the social integration of former users. However how we can promote the interconnection of former users with the labour market if we don't know the particular characteristics and the needs of this group?

Studies in the area of substance abuse show that as lower is the educational level of the under treatment member so much bigger is the tendency to abandon early each effort for treatment (Kooyman, 1993). This remark leads us to the hypothesis that the educative and professional lacks and the impasses related to them, as the difficulty of professional re-establishment decrease the motives and the probabilities for a completed successful treatment.

Research shows also that there is a relationship between the "interruption" from the Counselling and the use of substances, confirming (Chavez, 1993) that those that stop the Counselling have more possibilities to be involved with the use than those that continue their education.

The treating programs, which offer services of professional orientation and training, aim to the psychological and social change of the person and to his complete integration in the social system.

In the process of drug-addiction's treatment and complete integration of independent users as equivalent members of society, the two systems function additionally.

The goal of treatment is the therapy of drug-addiction but also the intensification of the person so that accomplish to face the stress with creative way turn the negative sight of himself to positive learn to attend and maintain the interpersonal relationships that cover him sentimentally and finally to be glad with the beauty of life (Kooyman, 1993). These goals are related with the goals of education and professional training and orientation for person's intensification and integration in the modern society.

"All the treatment actions are drawn in order to produce therapeutic and educational change in participants and all the participants are parts of this therapeutic and educational change" (De L eon, 1994).

The treatment programs of therapy of drug-addiction give particular emphasis to the complete integration of a person, as an equivalent member of the society and they promote the action of professional orientation recognizing that "treatment by its own is not enough for the confrontation of the problem. It is required rather a coordinated social effort for the confrontation of needs of each community for prevention, education, treatment and professional re-establishment." (Ball et al.l, 1994).

A lot of users of psychotropic substances abandon the school in the age of 15. When they ask for treatment, ten years after the use, they face, apart from their other problems, serious professional and educative lacks.

Programs of pre-training, professional orientation and training contribute to their effort for social integration. However even in the same group of substance users, we meet a lot of differences. There are existing users of psychotropic substances who work and need support in order to remain in their job and stop the use at the same time. On the other side, adolescents' substance users who have abandoned the school prematurely need support, so that they complete the secondary education and at the same time to stop the use, where as adult substance users of with serious educative lacks are required to attend programs of pre-training and professional training, so that they accomplish to have recession.

In order to achieve these goals, the educational programs materialise by Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA) aim to face the serious educational and professional lacks of former users and the experiences of the school failure that have led enough persons from this group to the premature abandonment of school.

In planning professional orientation and training programs for this particular demographic group four important factors are taken into consideration so that the connection with the labour market is achieved. These factors concern:

• The investigation of characteristics and particular needs of each group of educators that are constituted by former users that have particular importance for the vital active of group members in the conduct of the program.
• The psycho-social support of former users and their families with additional action, in order to complete the training program successfully.
• The trainers' training, so that they are suitably prepared for the handling of problems that come out in the process of learning, and
• The interconnection between people and the labour market, through professional orientation groups, briefing and sensitization of employers as well as with the development of network of collaboration with the responsible institutions. The achievement of this goal presupposes the organisation of network services interconnected with the labour market.

However, the insufficient knowledge and information for the particular needs of the group of former users contribute to the increase of social biases to shape stereotypic expectations for the behaviour of persons coming from the particular groups and leads to conceal or obvious discriminations that complicate their integration in the labour market.

The multidimensional nature of social exclusion requires interventions in a lot of different levels, the support and involvement of all interested parts and particularly the active attendance of the persons.

The previous failure of the school and familial system to include the persons in the society from the beginning has long-lasting consequences. The absorption by the labour market depends on the degree that the person will be able to face their problems and to found a new way of life.

The Person in charge of Sector of Education of Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals
Anna Tsiboukli, PhD
Educational Psychologist

Career Guidance and Counselling for people with special needs

The preparation of clients can require works supply in re-establishment centre or in checked workshop (workshop re-establishment in checked labour environment) and personal professional objectives with a view the counsellor to develop professional experience and relative services in order to help the persons with special needs to acquire a normal life and a productive professional situation. Such a workshop can be transient or long-term and provide moreover skills of work search. About half million persons each year participate in these workshops in USA (Herr & Cramer, 1996). Generally the professional re-establishment requires offer, labour experimentation, labour placement and continuous follow-up. The estimation is usually carried out with traditionally psychometric tools and samples of work.

There is a sufficient documentation (Herr and Cramer, 1996. Isaacson and Brown, 1993) for how much essential but also therapeutic is the work for Persons with Special Needs (per example patients with mental problems). The environment of community leads to more successful professional re-establishment than that of the environment of hospital, as the bias of employers against psychiatric patients ceases to exist.

Certain governing lines for the persons with infirmities:

• Previous general historical and labour background they help in the professional re-establishment.
• Continuous support, at least short-term, is essential.
• A program step-by-step, systematic professional support is better.
• Is extremely important the professional development of skills (than diagnosis and symptomatology).
• Exercises of self-esteem or reinforcement of Ego are obviously more useful from psychological tests.

Wherever the re-establishment becomes the objective is always to internally exempt the client from internal and externally obstacles concerning the work. These obstacles include: a) labour disadvantages (disability to correspond in the frame of essential demands of a profession in a satisfied level), b) difficulties of hiring because of biases, c) difficulty of adaptation in a job environment that was mentioned before.

With B' Community Framework of Support - (EPEAK- In Greek) actions for Counselling and Professional Orientation issues were materialised concerning not only persons with special needs but also the individuals that are threatened with social exclusion.

Continuing the effort of supporting the executives of Counselling and Professional Orientation and helping students with special needs, in the frame of third Community Framework of Support, but also in national level strategic and economic support, it is necessary to be drawn and materialised the aid of role of Counsellors of Counselling and Professional Orientation in processes of counselling for persons with special needs, so that they can correspond in bigger and bigger needs of special groups counselling.

For this reason I believe that is necessary:

• The aid of role of New Information Technologies and their exploitation in counselling and information of persons of special groups processes.
• The interconnection and communication involved with subjects of Diagnosis - Support - Education - Training and Professional Orientation of Persons with Special Needs of institutions and the recording of experience from corresponding institutions of EU and internationally.
• The creation and production of special aids (books, CD - R OMs) for the support of professional counselling processes.
• The study of essential material and technical infrastructure for the realisation of tele-counselling from the Counselling and Orientation Centres / Counselling and Professional Orientation Offices (KESYP/GRASEP) and other similar places.
• The extension and continuous upgrade of electronic base of data in the KESYP - PI/OFFICE of Persons with Special Needs and Individuals that are threatened with Social Exclusion, for use of KESYP and GRASEP all over country, in subjects of supporting services Persons with Special Needs but also Individuals that are threatened with Social Exclusion.

Based on above report, the expected results are:

• The sufficiency of executives of Counselling and Professional Orientation as for the counselling processes for persons with special needs.
• The training - further education of executives of Counselling and Professional Orientation in fundamental principals of Special Education, issues of infirmity and issues of social exclusion.

The continuous and unanticipated changes in the "globalize" labour market constitute big challenges for services of Counselling and Professional Orientation. So that all the young people face their future, they should become capable to draw their career, knowing the technological but also social - economic developments. The tomorrow's employers will very likely change often field of job or pass from stages of employment - unemployment. Important in this course will be the capability of every employee to remain employee. The basic objective still remains the right and continuous supply of help of professional orientation that will support the person through the life span for development but also for continuous readjustment of his skills according to modern demands. (Sidiropoulou - Dimakakou, 2004).

Despina Sidiropoulou-Dimakakou
Associate Professor, University of Athens, Greece