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.