This study investigated the relationships among dysfunctional career thoughts and career indecision with respect to symptoms of depression. Such information could be useful to counselors in identifying individuals at the outset of career counseling who may be experiencing emotional distress from life stressors in addition to career stress. One-hundred fifty-eight college students enrolled in a career development course completed measures of dysfunctional career thoughts, an occupational alternative question, and a measure of depression symptoms. Results indicated that dysfunctional career thoughts and occupational indecision were related to depression symptoms, with decision-making confusion being the best predictor. Implications of the findings for practice and research are discussed.

Homework assignments are an integral part of traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression, where the focus of therapy and interventions is to reduce negative mental health symptomatology. However, little attention has been paid to the extent that CBT homework assignments can improve positive emotionality. Positive psychology interventions, on the other hand, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depression and bolstering positive states, which may make them valuable additions to CBT for depression when incorporated specifically as homework assignments. The current study compared the effectiveness of self-help homework assignments from both of these theories. College students with mild depressive symptoms in a nonpsychotherapy setting were randomly assigned to complete either cognitivebehavioral homework assignments (with or without an interpersonal component) or positive psychology homework assignments (with an inherent interpersonal element) over a 2-week period. Results indicated that participants from all 3 experimental conditions experienced a significant decrease in depressive symptoms and general distress scores relative to a control group over the course of 2 weeks, but only participants in the positive psychology homework condition experienced a concurrent increase in both positive affect and behavioral activation. The integration of positive psychology interventions as homework assignments in psychotherapy is discussed.

College students with ADHD demonstrate self-evaluations that appear to reflect the positive illusory bias and that may be related to their academic functioning in the college setting and willingness to receive treatment.

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