Week 9 Post

I would first like to take the time to discuss the partner activity we completed in class last week. While an extension of previously read material, this activity allowed for hands-on exploration of the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) and O*NET Online. In addition, it enabled us to apply the material located from these sources to an actual case study. It is one thing to simply the read the material in the text, but the ability to utilize and apply these career resources to cases we may very well have in the future is extremely beneficial. Becoming familiar with online resources and knowing how to locate codes for various occupations will make it that much easier for our work with future clients.

In regard to Chapter 6, I found it interesting that Brown (2012) classified women who wish to enter the workforce or who are now in the workforce as a group with special needs. I still have an extremely hard time wrapping my head about why women continue to make much less than their male counterparts while performing the same work. With women spending much less time at home than in the past, I’m not sure how much longer child-rearing can be used as a justifiable reason for this inequality. Additionally, I despise that the general population continues to view individuals with disabilities as having some sort of deficit. As Brown (2012) pointed out, individuals with disabilities have a restriction of ability that prevents them from functioning normally. Representing the second largest group of clients with disabilities, I found it astonishing that nearly 85 percent of individuals with mental illness are unemployed (Brown, 2012). As was the case with the example of Charlene presented in the text, individuals with mental illness often experience repeated failures and lower occupational status than their non-disabled counterparts (Brown, 2012). Unfortunately, I am not sure how accommodating employers would be to the needs of these individuals. I think many employers may see mental illness as something that can be controlled or that should be prevented from interfering in the workplace; however, this is obviously not the case. In light of the current economy, I do feel as though the number of displaced and economically disadvantaged workers will continue to rise; however, additional training and/or education is often required before these individuals are able to return back to work. It is my hope that career counselor invest more energy and time on career services designed for the workers that have been identified as individuals with special needs.

References

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Blog 9

I'm currently taking a course in Special Education and have learned more about the symptoms, causes, effects, and treatment of various disabilities, including learning and intellectual disabilities, emotional disorders, autism, and physical handicaps such as deafness and blindness. I recently researched a program called The Supported Higher Education Project (SHEP), in Kentucky, whose goal is to provide a variety of college programs for students with intellectual disabilities with the expectation that they will eventually find employment in a meaningful field. The pilot project includes seven students who are taking postsecondary classes and working part-time in jobs relevant to their courses of study. SHEP staff members work with employers to develop objectives related to the students' majors, monitor their progress, and intervene if problems arise. The seven core students are also exposed to a number of other supports. Each student has an individualized education program which is developed by a team consisting of the student, his or her parents, the coordinator of the inclusion initiative, and former and current peer supports. Other professionals such as vocational rehabilitation counselors and professors are included as needed. SHEP staff members assign each of the students a peer mentor, which is another college student who agrees to help the student with ID to successfully navigate the campus culture. The article reports on the successful experience of a college student named Jillian, who has Downes Syndrome and is able to take courses and work as an assistant manager for the men's basketball team. She is interested in working with young children, so her IEP team exposes her to coursework in this field as well as practicum experiences related to this area. Jillian attributes her success to the supports provided in her IEP program and the academic coaching and social support provided by her mentor (Kleinart, Jones Sheppard-Jones, Harp, Harrison, 2012). I expected to read about similar intensive strategies when providing career counseling for individuals with disabilities in Brown's text, but was surprised to find that researchers propose "a sequence that differs little from the approach used with all clients: assessment, occupational exploration and choice, vocational training, placement and follow-up" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). Researchers do recommend that counselors tailor certain portions of these steps for individuals with disabilities, such as modifying assessments or locating jobs and universities with specialized services, but these individualized steps differ little from approaches with other clients who may have specific interests or needs, and there is little information concerning a holistic approach. I am curious as to whether more comprehensive models exist and will plan to research this further to have the most useful information to provide for my future students, some of which will certainly be students with special needs. Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development(10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Kleinart, H., Jones, M., Sheppard-Jones, K., Harp, B., Harrison, E. (2012). Students Intellectual Disabilities Going to College? Absolutely!. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44, 26-35.

Blog 9

I started to read chapter 6 and found the list of clients with special needs (Brown, 2012).  I read the list and saw that women were second on the list of choices.  I thought to myself that it is ridiculous that they are even on that list.  When I think of someone with special needs, I think of someone who is physically or mentally not able to help themselves in certain aspects of their lives.  Just because someone is a women does not make them a person with special needs.  They are human just like the men are.  They have different feature then men but that does not make them people with special needs.  Yes, in the past women were suppose to stay home and help with the kids, but today, women are doing fantastic in their chosen careers.  They should not be considered as a client with special needs.  What troubles me about this is the fact that Brown’s (2012) textbook was recently edited.  What should have happened was the author should have taken women out of the list of clients with special needs because I feel that in today’s society it is not needed anymore.

            When I continued to read on, I saw that people with mental illness is the second largest group of clients with disabilities (Brown 2012).  Currently, I am taking SPED 600, which is orientation to special education, and I did not know about this fact.  I might have missed it in my studies, but I feel that this category is a really high number.  Brown (2012) also described that this group’s unemployment rate is around 85 percent.  To me that number is extremely high but it is hard for this group to find good jobs because of their mental illness.  I feel employers are scared to hire them because they might take off too many days or they might not be able to perform the task that is brought to them.  It is like job’s satisfactoriness does not match up with the skills of individuals with mental illness and that is why employers do not hire them.  It is like this group is stuck between a rock and a hard place and cannot get out of the hole that they are in.  People with special needs have a hard time getting a decent job.  They can try really hard but sometimes their disabilities get in the way.  All career counselors can do for them is to “consider how these clients’ personal lives and careers interact” (Brown, 2012, p 122).

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Blog #9

            When others ask what I want to do after I get my degree, they often attempt to answer their own question with the question, “Going into private practice?” More often than not I say that is the “ultimate goal” but I am not very committed to that endeavor. The reasons are outlined in Brown’s 14^th chapter and are discussed thoroughly. Simplistically speaking, it’s a copious amount of work!

            Individuals who seek to become involved in private practices have to be qualified in two categories: ethical and legal (Brown, 2012). They have to obtain licensure, certification, and all states have registry laws that regulate the practice of psychologists and counselors (Brown, 2012). Certification takes time, but to be a licensed psychologist, on must obtain a doctoral degree from and APA accredited program, one to two years post-doctoral supervised clinical experience, and pass the EPPP (Trull, 2005). This is an intense program and time consuming. One must be sure this is their ideal job before attempting a laborious venture.

            Another point this chapter made clear to me is the fact that career coaching does not require licensure or certification. This astonishes me because career coaches are in a position to change the trajectory of another individual’s lives with career evaluation and suggestions. What if the coach is wrong and he sends is client into a job that incapacitates him or even killed? This is an area that I found surprising to say the least. The validity of career counseling is mentioned in this text and rightfully so. “Because mush career counseling occurs via telephone, some career counselors have questioned it validity” (Brown, 2012). How can rapport be built through telephone lines? How do you know you are speaking to the correct individual? Just these two questions should scare away individuals from conducting such business.

            Finally, I was surprised to read “career coaching as well as preparation to be a career coach can also be conducted online” (Brown, 2012). I understand that some certifications do not have to be backed by accredited institutions, but at least they have the title of being “certified”! This puts some people’s minds at ease when seeking help. This would allow some individuals to add career counseling to the skills set and also to their list of services in a private practice. I would hope that these individuals rethink the ethic and legal repercussions for identifying themselves with skills they may/may not have.

Reference

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Trull, T. J. (2005). Current Issues in Clinical PSychology. Clinical psychology (7th ed., pp. 65-66). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Blog #9

            I had mixed reactions after reading Chapter 6 about Clients with Special Needs. I was expecting help with counseling those with disabilities, mental illnesses, etc. and indeed I found that information there which was very helpful, but then to find career counseling for women in that chapter kind of made me question what century we were in. Call me naive, but I didn’t think women in the workforce was a “special need”. I understand the point that men are still making more money on average than women, but are women in the workforce really still looked at as needing special help? However, I do see the point that a woman who devotes her early years to childrearing would start later in her life than someone who doesn’t have a family or starts her career before her family. I realize that the time a person enters the workplace really does make a difference, however, I still am not sure that I like that women as a whole are addressed in this chapter. On a positive note, I like that this chapter addressed the needs of those with mental illnesses because I will most likely be working with adults with mental illnesses. I think it is important to become advocates for these clients as well as communicate their strengths and weaknesses to potential employers (Brown, 2012, p. 122). This will help the client and their future employers to modify the workplace to fit their needs.

            Chapter 14 was also very informative for me. I enjoyed reading about what it takes to have a private practice. For me, I would love to be apart of a private practice because of the professional and economic rewards that are available, however, in this economy it would really be quite a risky investment. I really like that the book discusses joining a group practice because then there are referrals that are immediately available to you (Brown, 2012, p. 122). This makes a lot more sense to me especially since I’m interested in offering personal counseling and if I was in a group practice we could offer a variety of different services. I also liked that the book educated me on what a career counselor really does. I never realized that there were such a wide variety of services like individual, group, testing, outplacement, job placement etc. I thought the career counseling field was much more limited than it really is. It just keeps surprising me more and more each week because when I entered this class, I really didn’t know what I would be learning about and each week something new and different is brought to my attention that I never thought of or was never informed of.

Reference

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Blog Post #9

Brown's Chapter 6 caught my attention almost immediately, especially the idea that, "Disabled persons, like their nondisabled counterparts, seek to improve their employment prospects by enrolling in higher education institutions" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). This is especially interesting to me because at HACC we have a large amount of students with disabilities that utilize the services provided by our Office of Disability Services (whether that is note-taking services, extended testing time, private rooms for testing, etc.). Many people might think that students with disabilities are a nuisance in class or disruptive to other students, but many might not know that at the college level there are no behavioral plans like there are in high school, so while students with disabilities might be offered educational services to assist them, they must abide by our student code of conduct. HACC recently hosted a Partnership Day with all of the Lancaster County IU13 Job Trainers and their students with IEP's to come to HACC, learn about our school, hear from a student panel and take a tour of campus. It was highly successful. Prospective students with disabilities got a first hand look at what they would be able to accomplish at a school that offers them high quality disability services. "The GAO also reported that disabled students are more likely to be part-time and attend community colleges than students without disabilities" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). Many people think that because someone has a disability that it means they are unable to lead productive, fulfilled lives or that they cannot be as successful as someone without a disability. I also appreciated that, "Zunker (2006) described the career counseling process for clients with disabilities. He proposed a sequence that differs little from the approach used with all clients: assessment, occupational exploration and choice, vocational training, placement, and follow-up. The presence of a disability may require tailoring some of these steps to meet the specific needs of the client" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). From what I have learned from working with students with disabilities is that there has to be a focus on the opportunities that are available, not on what is not available to these students. "The occupational exploration process for clients with disabilities is similar to that followed by clients without disabilities, with the exception being that greater emphasis is placed on identifying occupations that correspond to the client's physical and mental abilities" (Brown, 2012, p. 120-121). It is hard for those who do not work regularly with disabled clients (myself included) to understand that impact on our society if students with disabilities are not given a fair shot at an education that can lead to gainful employment. "Kosciulek (2003) suggests that effective career counselors can empower clients with disabilities by fostering inclusion in the broader workforce and in society...however, career counselors working with the disabled may find that these clients have limited experience from which to draw, poor decision-making abilities because of fewer opportunities to make decisions for themselves, and low self-esteem" (Brown, 2012, p. 121). Even if none of us end up working as career counselors for those who have disabilities it is everyone's job to help empower this population so we can allow them to be as productive as possible in our society.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post 9 - Chapter 14

           After seeing the other blog posts, I noticed most people seemed to choose Chapter 6 to discuss.  To go a different route, I will be discussing Chapter 14 regarding career counseling in private practice.  Speaking honestly, I was not aware that counselors existed that are primarily trained and licensed solely to perform career counseling.  It was only after taking this course and reading Chapter 14 in the text book that I became aware of that specific profession.  Also through this course and the text, I have learned a lot more about career counseling and what it entails.  The first thing in this chapter that I want to discuss is the types of services that career counselors provide.

 When we hear the term career counselor we automatically think of careers and vocational choices.  One would assume that a career counselor should help direct career decision making and guide the client in changing careers and making the best vocational decision for themselves and their families.  Although this is, indeed, one function of the career counselor, they also provide numerous other services to their clientele.   Career counselors can help with resume construction, vocational skill development, planning for retirement, testing, and they can even conduct group counseling and consultations.  In addition to these services, career counselors may also address mental health needs if there is a co-existing disorder, and especially if insurance companies do not want to fund the career counseling services.  The text states that approximately 11 million people sought professional help with their careers during a survey that was conducted (Brown, 2012).  That is a fair amount of people that sought career counseling in this study.  I consider it to be an interesting statistic since I have never experienced career counseling myself, and, quite frankly, was not too sure of what all it entailed prior to this class.

            I believe that more people would use career counseling if they knew how to access it and the benefits of its use.  I think career counseling would be helpful to anyone with the wide variety of services it provides.  High schools should require students to have a minimum of three sessions with a career counselor prior to graduation.  This may help high school students be better equipped for college and “the real world”.  It also may help provide high school students with a better sense of direction in life and help guide their aspirations. 

As stated in previous blogs, I know that I could have personally benefited from such sessions with a career counselor.  I think the economic struggles we face could partially be due to lack of interest and decreased job satisfaction.  Perhaps career counseling could help solve some of those problems for families to help place them in a job where they are happy and would like to strive for tenure.  If this would happen, the economy may see an increase in production of its employees and workers. This possibility is realistic, and it couldn’t hurt to utilize these resources in an attempt to better our economic state.

References

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Brown, Chapter 6 and 14

I really appreciated reading Brown’s chapter on “Clients with Special Needs” after reading the previous chapter on multicultural approaches to career counseling. Brown (2012) suggests that the chapter is not the ultimate source for learning about the range of clients that may seek career counseling. I find it to be a good first step in being aware of the vast amount of differences rather than treating clients as a homogeneous group.

I previously was a lab manager at my old school, and one of my main responsibilities was to train undergraduate research assistants in proper experimental protocol. One of the students working in the lab was able to broaden my perspective on how people treated him due to his disability. Throughout his whole life he was unable to hear, but he was able to undergo surgery for cochlear implants. He told me that through the interview process with faculty to become a research assistant he would notice the professors focus on his cochlear implants rather than the skill set he had to be able to conduct research. Even outside of the academic environment people would judge him for how he talked as if he would be unable to perform the job because of his hearing and speech. I could not even believe he experienced these reactions both in school and in the workplace. Honestly, he was the most inquisitive student working in the lab, and it was a great experience to work with someone who was excited to learn and conduct research rather than opting for an easy grade by helping in a lab. I ran into this student in the next semester, but not for training to do work in the lab. He attended a meeting I was having for LGBTQIA graduate students.

The interaction of a person and their environment, I feel, is an extremely important piece of information for a counselor. To understand the struggle that individuals undergo in attempting to enter the workforce, in the workplace, and even in the general public will help to enlighten the best approaches for a career counselor. In addition, advocacy for these groups will only help to strengthen the counselor-client relationship and minimize the apprehension felt by individuals when attempting to seek employment.

For career counselors in private practice, I think it is extremely beneficial to be required to meet particular qualifications and credentials. If an individual seeks out a resource for career counseling, implementing particular regulations would ensure that clients are provided with a counselor that is knowledgeable about the field. It is possible for an individual to experience  a situation where a career coach is not qualified for the work leading to the individual becoming disenchanted by the whole field of counseling.

Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post #9

10/29/12

I was happy to see that there were sections in chapter six devoted to counseling individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses. As a TSS, I work with children and adolescents on the Autism spectrum, and it’s my job to get to know my clients, capitalize on their strengths, help them improve their weaknesses, and live their lives to the fullest extent possible. It is exhausting, but rewarding work. However, I know that despite the academic and social progress they make in school, many of the clients I have interacted with over the years will not be able to have their own full-time jobs when they reach adulthood due to the limitations of their disorders: they may only be able to attain factory-type jobs where they’d be doing one simple task, or a few, at a time, over and over again, or they may be able to do some type of clerical work, or things like that.

Brown (2012) noted that, “people with mental health problems are likely to experience multiple failures and lower occupational status than they would have achieved without the illness” (p. 122). Even if these individuals do manage to get jobs, many of them will need full-time care and supervision, never being able to live completely independently. It’s incredible the amount of obstacles that these people face on a day to day basis, and it breaks my heart that after how hard these children have to work their whole lives to achieve many small milestones that we tend to take for granted, they will still face insurmountable obstacles in moving forward in a career path.

It’s good to know that these individuals are not necessarily going to be lost in the shuffle of growing up, going to college, and getting a job; I think career counseling has never been more important than it is for individuals with disabilities and/or mental health disorders; just like everyone else, these individuals need help assessing their abilities and interests to find the right direction for a career, but for these individuals who need so much extra care and assistance just to get through daily living tasks, career counseling could do so much to help improve their lifestyles. Because effective career counselors really take the time and effort to make sure that each of their clients (including those with special needs) are guided toward a career path that suits them best based on their skill levels, in addition to their physical abilities and interests, I believe that individuals with special needs (especially those with disabilities and/or mental illnesses) can really benefit from career counseling and need to be given the opportunity to experience it.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post # 9: Clients with Special Needs

I would to start this week’s blog post by discussing the activity we completed in class last week.  At first, I had mixed feelings about the activity.  After reading the case study; I thought to myself “how in the world are we supposed to pick three possible occupations for this person?”  However, after starting the search; it became a lot easier.  I learned the most from figuring out with DOT and SOC codes actually meant in relation to the specific occupations.  When I read about the codes it made sense, but I felt that I needed an opportunity to actually apply what the codes meant.  Actually taking the codes and breaking down each set of numbers was really interesting.  I could see how career counselors could use this activity when helping clients.  I also think that this could be used for different age groups; and the activity could be easily modified to accommodate a specific group of clients.

I work in special education, and I am glad that we were able to read a chapter in Brown’s (2012) book about career counseling for clients with special needs.  Brown defined a disability as “any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in a manner or within the range considered normal for a human being” (Brown, 2012, pg. 118).  I had a hard time with this definition because I would like to know what the deciding factor is for a “normal” human being.  Disabilities can range from moderate to severe, and every disability is different.  I also found it interesting that many clients with special needs receive their career counseling through a rehabilitation counselor.  I had to revise my own definition of rehabilitation counselors.  When I think of rehabilitation; I think of someone trying to solve a problem, like an addiction.   However, Brown providing a more working definition; “rehabilitation may involve services such as education, improvement of physical functioning through physical therapy, enhancing psychological adjustment, increasing social adaptation, improving vocational capabilities, and/or identifying recreational activities” (Brown, 2012, pg. 119).

Although I work with elementary school students with Autism; I often wonder where they will end up in terms of a job later in life.  Brown made a good point that most assessments and inventories would probably not produce the most effective results for clients with special needs.  I also think that he makes some good suggestions; “the use of interview procedures with the client or with physicians and therapists who have evaluated the client may provide better evaluations of the disabling condition and its effect.  Also, work samples and job tryouts may be much more significant indicators of the client’s potential than many assessment devices” (Brown, 2012, pg. 120).  It would be nice if schools had some of these programs in place before the students graduate; and maybe some schools already have programs like this in place.  Overall, I feel that a lot more needs to be done in helping clients with special needs succeed in careers to the best of their ability.  Brown makes a great point that all people need to treat these clients in this way; “evidence of what the client can do, such as strength factors and aptitudes, is even more important than identification of what he or she cannot do” (Brown, 2012, pg. 120).

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development. (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 6 Post

          After reading chapter 6, Brown made it a point that we, as career counselors (or counselors in general), need to be advocates for our clients. It does not matter what race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, SES, or whatever else the client may be, but our job is to advocate for them. Looking back on my life, I have been known as a person who speaks my mind. I have had a tendency to have strong opinions which have come solely from my emotions and my judgments on others. I am not saying that I rip someone just because they are a certain way, but I guess I had my own opinion of who they were (without really knowing them). As the years have gone on, I have been a part of many situations which have helped me become more mature. This maturity stems from many opportunities where I have been engaged with others who are “different”. These differences have led me to believe that we all have problems and we all have deficiencies, but what matters is how we deal with them. As a counselor, advocacy for cliental is definitely a must, but what I found more important in reading chapter 6 is the need to develop increased sensitivity and to promote self-esteem.

            All of the special groups mentioned in Chapter 6 are separated into different categories, but they have many commonalities. As a career counselor, one has to be sensitive to the special needs that clients bring to the career counseling process (Brown 2012, page 118). Like I mentioned before, this sensitivity has to be built over time. If a person isn’t exposed to individuals within these special groups, it will be quite difficult to understand what they are truly going through. I feel that you have to have some kind of perspective. Simply reading out of a text book isn’t the same as experiencing it first hand. Knowing this, a career counselor can then approach the client in a sensitive manner. This sense of awareness can further provide a stronger counselor/client relationship that is built on trust and respect.

            Also, as rapport is developed, a counselor can begin to promote a client’s self-esteem. Self-esteem is something that can hinder many of us. There are many days where I feel defeated, but it is all about the people around me who raise me back up. One way a counselor can help build a client’s self-esteem by recognizing his or her exceptions (solution-focused style). These exceptions are situations or qualities of a client’s life that they have responded or acted in a way that is good, or times when a problem could occur, but does not. Along with recognizing these exceptions, a counselor should compliment their client. Acknowledging what a client is already doing well, and acknowledging how difficult their problems are encourages the client to change while giving the message that the counselor has been listening and cares. Compliments in can help to highlight what the client is doing that is working. The more ownership that a counselor gives to a client, the more their self-esteem will increase. All people want to feel worthy. Recognizing even the smallest positives in a client’s life can really make a difference in their own self worth.

             

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post #9

Post #9

As the winds of Hurricane Sandy roar outside, seems like good time to blog about Career Development…before the power goes out…knock on wood. Hopefully everyone is staying dry and safe in the storm.

Chapter 6 – I chuckled a little bit when I started reading this chapter because it speaks to some of my questions from the previous week. In reading the beginning of the chapter, my mind went directly to politics. Politics touches everything – whether it is laws to protect rights or funding distribution. Our values are reflected in our politics. The section in Brown (2012) pertaining to workers with disabilities talks about all of the legislation in place that raises awareness of issues disabled workers experience and protection to facilitate and accommodate their work contributions. (I am appalled at the lack of legislation for the LGBT population. I think it is just plain wrong.) I appreciated the consideration to language that we use in referring to these individuals. I think language is important and needs to be respectful and positive. I like that the federal government changed the designation of mental retardation to intellectual disability. Even using language like health concern versus disorder can make a difference. I noticed the description of funding streams from federal government to state government for rehabilitation programs. We need to be aware of what someone is talking about exactly when they discuss spending cuts. I think counselors need to be advocates for those they serve. I also think we need to stand behind the benefit of the services we provide as contributing to the greater welfare of the society. The discussion regarding unemployment is interesting because we want people to work, but we are often unwilling to spend money in areas that stimulate return to work, job development, and education.

I minored in Women’s Studies at Penn State for my undergrad – so the section about women in the workforce was not surprising to me. I really don’t know how many women do it. I talk to many women who are juggling children and caring for adult parents. Many jobs just do not offer the flexibility needed to meet the many roles in women’s lives. I am so fortunate to have a job that is flexible. Just today I scheduled a meeting with my daughter’s teacher next week for parent teacher conference. I had to adjust my work schedule – something I do more than once every 2-3 months. I try to be as proactive as possible, but sometimes things don’t get scheduled until the last minute. It is so important to me to participate in her life and all of her events that I prioritize it over my job. It works out fine and I receive no “flack” for it – so I am very lucky.

The section for career counseling for ex-offenders in Brown (2012) answered my question about where to begin in the counseling process. I think ex-offenders have very complicated counseling needs. It is helpful to see an 8-step model.

Chapter 14 – Private practice, essentially being self-employed, is certainly a lifestyle as much as it is an occupation or job. I noticed Pennsylvania was not listed as a state that holds specific requirements for career counselors. That is unfortunate. This class highlights to me how one cannot take one class in career counseling and become a career counselor.

Reference:

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th                                    ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post # 9

I took History of disability before starting any major core classes in the school counseling program. It was a real eye opener to me to gain knowledge on how disability was viewed, even as far back as before the renaissance. It was also interesting to see how far we have come in society and how far we still need to come to have equality among those with disabilities, ethnicity, and gay and lesbians. Chapter four was easy for me to relate to because I already had background knowledge on disability not only in the work force but also in regards to schooling        

            I would also like to agree with Julia on the fact that I am not sure that women need to be classified into the same grouping of people with special needs as with Gay and Lesbians. But I believe Brown is trying to get the point across that along with those with special needs and mental illness’s, women and gay and lesbians are at a disadvantage when it comes to the work force. That is, they both have gone through some of the same struggles and triumphs to gain equality for them, and show they are not any less capable of becoming successful or improving society.

            There are a significant number of people in the workforce that have disabilities. “  According to the current populations survey, about 10.5 percent of the total US population or 17 million people between the ages of 16-64 have disabilities”, ( Brown 2012, p.118). That is right at the point where one starts their career adventure and on the verge of the end of their career journey looking to retire soon. This also does not even include those that are working that do not even know that they have disabilities. I like the example of Charlene, she made it to graduate school, being on honor roll and then developed a bipolar disorder. This illness is something that she couldn’t have seen coming. I can imagine that there are many other individuals out there like Charlene that either have some form of mental disorder but just don’t realize it. Charlene isn’t any less capable of succeeding in a career, she just needs to change and adjust her path because of her bipolar. Understanding her triggers that set of her moods is important and once she is able to gain control over her illness she could be back on the path to achieving her masters degree and go on to be a great leader her career of choice.

            Career counselors have the ability to improve and help those with disabilities and other group classified earlier in the chapter or they can hinder someone’s success in the workforce. Understanding each group’s needs and abilities is important and helping them realize that they are capable of great things is of equal importance.

           

Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

 

Post #9

          While doing this week’s reading, I was glad to see that Brown included a chapter on clients with special needs.  I was especially interested when the author stated that “people with mental illness represent the second-largest group of clients with disabilities, and that the unemployment rate among this group may be as high as 85 percent” (Brown, 2012, p. 122).  I was surprised by this statistic, because I never fully realized just how high the unemployment rate is for those with mental illnesses.  I believe that it is important for career counselors to be able to work closely with clients with disabilities to help them find careers that will match their current level of functioning.

            According to Brown, “People with mental health problems are likely to experience multiple failures and lower occupational status than they would have achieved without the illness” (2012, p. 122).  In my work in an inpatient psychiatric unit, I have heard client stories that very much go along with Brown’s statement.  At one point, I worked with a client that was extremely intelligent and had her bachelor’s degree in education and had even begun working in the field after doing her student teaching.  She also began working on her master’s degree in English and was very involved in her studies.  This client shared with me that she was one semester away from earning her Master’s degree when she started showing symptoms of schizophrenia (like in most cases, her symptoms began to manifest themselves in her mid 20’s).  Due to her symptoms, she was no longer able to function in the way she did previously and was unable to finish her degree requirements.  She shared with me that she was no longer able to focus on her studies due to the voices that she would hear in her head and her disorganized thinking.  I believe that this example very much goes along with Brown’s statement that I talked about earlier.  This client has so much potential, but her illness is causing her to not be able to reach the goals she had made for herself at this time.  I believe once this client is a little more stabilized on her medication, career counseling will be beneficial to her.  Her mental illness is a part of her, so career counselors cannot ignore that part of her life.  It will be important for this client to work with a career counselor in order to find a job that matches her interests and abilities, but also matches her current level of functioning. 

Reference

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.