Career work with clients in midlife and later adulthood must consider actual life circumstances, including financial responsibilities, health, caregiving roles, retirement timing, age discrimination, and existing skills. For this reason, career counseling for this group should be grounded in the realities of clients’ lives—their current roles, constraints, and opportunities—making Option C the best answer.

Option A (focus on career selection) is more appropriate for adolescents or emerging adults choosing an initial field, not individuals who already have extensive work histories.

Option B (abstract self-perception) is too vague and detached from the very concrete life factors often central in midlife/older transitions.

Option D (emphasize training/education) may be appropriate for some clients, but it is not a universal guiding principle and ignores many who may not have the time, resources, or interest for extensive retraining.

NBCC Counselor Work Behavior Areas highlight that, in career development, counselors must integrate developmental stage and real-world context into their clinical focus, particularly for adults navigating later-life work and retirement decisions.