Evaluating programs, whether it those programs are career
related or curriculum related is important in deciding if a program is
effective or not. What are some things that can be tweaked to make the program
effective or in some cases there is a realization that the program needs to be
terminated. I know that throughout my schooling, there were programs that I
wished had been nixed long before they eventually did.
Brown did a nice job of outlining the
different ways to evaluate a program and use research based methods as well as
evaluations that every day people would be able to interpret. There is always
going to be people breathing down your necks, as counselors, asking you if the
program you have implemented is working, are the programs worth the money and
show the data! Brown makes a statement at the end of chapter 11, that not all
programs need to use both qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluating a
program and sometimes it is necessary to use a mixed model ( 2012, pg 356).
Focus groups were one of my favorite methods to decide what a program needs and
what is or isn’t necessarily working. Working in groups allows you to build off
of each other and come up with ideas that you might not have been able to do on
your own.
Switching gears to chapter 11 of
Brown, the chapter talked about employability skills and job placement services.
Before starting my job as a counselor aide at a group home I went to a job
placement service but was immediately turned away by the unpleasant demeanor of
the front desk lady. She sat there chewing gum, and acted annoyed when I came
in. With that being said, the company I worked for was a group home for
troubled youth and sex offenders aged 16-21. One of the main goals of this
program was to integrate the kids back into society, and that meant getting
them a job. The kids at the group home I worked at went through a staffing
agency and although I never went back to one, it was very useful for those
individuals that were not sure of their own abilities and got their foot in the
door to see what type of job they could see themselves doing in the future. For
these young kids, most of them grew up in the foster system or had parents that
were not around; they were not supported and felt left out. Understanding the
background of the children you are going to be counseling is so important.
Pointing out and recognizing what they do well and perhaps things that they may
not have seen as one of their strengths, could push them just far enough in a
positive direction. It could change their lives, and that’s the thing, you may
never know what will work or how something may turn out but being there and
having knowledge is important. Gaining trust and showing genuine care for that
person and allowing them to open up to you so you can help them move forward.
(10th ed.).
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