WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE LIFE PLANNING (ILP)?

                           An Introduction

Integrative Life Planning (ILP) is a relatively new concept (some call it a theory)

which was published in book form for the first time in 1997 (Jossey Bass).  It  was

created by Sunny Hansen, now professor emerita in the Counseling and Student Personnel  Psychology program, Educational Psychology Department in the University of  Minnesota, Minneapolis.

While the concept has been developed in the field of career development and career counseling, it is a new approach which is holistic in nature.  It departs from traditional approaches to career guidance, which are still important and provide information and strategies to help job seekers and vocational planners identify occupational areas which seem appropriate to their interests and abilities and into which

they might fit.  ILP, on the other hand, helps individuals examine work in their lives

but in relation to other aspects of life such as family, education, citizenship, and life

style.   Key words in ILP are holistic, community, and context. 

Integrative Life Planning suggests that there are six critical life themes or tasks which individuals need to address in their career planning.  Although these have been

modified somewhat since the original book was published, they are built around the major theme of  “Weaving Our Lives into a Meaningful Whole,” as follows:

1)Finding Work that Needs Doing in Changing Global Contexts

2) Attending to Our Health: Physical, Mental, Emotional

3)Connecting Family and Work in Relation to Gender Roles

4)Valuing Pluralism, Diversity, and Inclusion

5)Exploring Spirituality and Life Meaning and Purpose

6)Managing Personal Transitions and Organizational Change

      It is argued that dramatic changes in society—in various aspects of life—require us

to examine how we make our own career decisions and how career counselors assist in

that process.  While career counseling in the past has focused heavily on the individual,

the integrative approach focuses on not only satisfaction to self but benefit to  community.  The theory has a strong social justice emphasis and requires individuals to

look at the context in which they live and grow and make life career decisions.

Since it was created in the 1990s, ILP has been widely disseminated through

professional conferences of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA).  It also has been represented through lectures and workshops nationally and internationally in countries such as South Africa, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Finland, and Ireland.  Counselors and counselor educators have reported to the author several ways in which ILP has been taught and applied.  Individuals seeking career counseling will also find the integrative approach satisfying.  For those looking at a more inclusive and holistic way of doing life planning, ILP can be very helpful.  The following article by Sunny Hansen and Barbara Suddarth provides an up-to-date and useful description of the recently modified approach of Integrative Life Planning for professional development

and individual counseling.  It is reprinted here from the new magazine, Career Developments, a quarterly magazine of NCDA, where it appeared in the pioneer issue.

Sunny Hansen, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, CSPP

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

October, 2009

     Are you interested in doing some holistic life planning?  If so, you might want to know about the new approach to career planning called Integrative Life Planning.  It is described

below and is based on the dramatic changes occurring in society around the globe.  In times of economic downturn, it may be an opportune time to review your own goals,

motivation, life roles, meaning and purpose, interpersonal relationships, and concern for community.  Besides asking yourself “What most gives me life satisfaction?”, you might ask,

“How will what I do in my life contribute to community?”  As you can see, it is a both an individual and societal view of life.  This approach is presented briefly below, followed by an

article which describes the concept or theory more fully.  ILP has been used quite widely in

career counseling and counselor education.  A distance learning course is also available in

the College of Continuing Education at the University of Minnesota.  The course is Integrative Career/Life Planning, Educational Psychology 4300,  for college junior and senior and adult students.  Contact sunnyssh@umn.edu for further information.