Who is widely regarded as the founder of vocational guidance and a founder of the counseling field?

• A. Frank Parsons
• B. Anna Reed
• C. Jesse Davis
• D. Eli Weaver

Answer: (A)

Frank Parsons is widely regarded as the founder of vocational guidance and a founder of the counseling field. He introduced a systematic, science-based approach to helping people choose jobs by matching a person’s abilities, interests, and personality with the requirements of occupations—the trait-factor method. He also helped establish the first vocational guidance bureau in Boston in 1908 and championed the idea that guidance should be a professional service delivered by trained counselors. This combination of a practical, research-informed method and the institutional creation of guidance services is why Parsons is seen as the originator of vocational guidance and a foundational figure in counseling. The other names listed contributed in early education and reform efforts, but they are not credited with initiating the vocational guidance movement or the counseling profession.