Physics

Behavior change

Sociology

Community psychology

Intervention (counseling)

Action (physics)

Psychotherapist

Psychiatry

Political science

Psychology

Counseling psychology

Social change

Psychological intervention

Anthropology

Planned change

Quantum mechanics

Applied psychology

Organizational commitment

Vignette

Theory of change

Social psychology

The Career Development Quarterly

This article advances the psychology of working theory by developing a parallel change‐based paradigm to guide interventions at the level of individuals (i.e., the psychology of working counseling) and systems (i.e., the psychology of working systemic intervention). The change paradigm presented in this article includes (a) a needs assessment encompassing survival, social connection/contribution, and self‐determination and (b) input on the mobilization of agentic action that includes critical reflection and action, proactive engagement, social support, and community engagement. The needs assessment and agentic action aspects of this approach can be used to foster change in individual counseling, advocacy, and systemic intervention. Case examples reflecting a systemic intervention and an individual counseling vignette are presented along with implications for research, such as explorations of the impact of these change models on client outcomes and systemic change efforts.

The Psychology of Working in Practice: A Theory of Change for a New Era