Career Development Essay

In my profession as a career counsellor I will take a holistic approach to a client’s circumstances. It is important, I think, not only look at a clients career path but also to examine a clients life as a whole. Through this process, I believe, a superior decision making process will take place. To achieve this aim I will use Parson’s trait and factor (Chapter 2 Trait and Factor Theory, Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, Richard Sharf 2006), Super’s life-span (Chapter 8, Late Adolescent and Adult Career Development, Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, Richard Sharf 2006) and Kelly’s constructivist theories (Chapter 10, Constructvist and Narrative Approaches to Career Development, Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, Richard Sharf 2006). I have chosen option one for my paper because this is the beginning of the counselling process. The initial contact with the client is important and sets the tone for the rest of the counselling process. The quality of the initial contact and information gathering that comes from that is invaluable to the decision making process. I will identify assessment, problem identification and formulation, and goal setting from the phases outlined in option one and discuss these from a counselling phase, practitioner beliefs, theory, and worksite perspectives. Assessment Practitioner Beliefs In the assessment stage the very foundation of the counselling function begins. Through using solid counselling skills such as making good eye contact, asking open ended questions, using continuation responses and expanding techniques I would begin to form a picture of the client’s abilities, values, personality, and interests. This process would be enhanced by the introduction of testing into the formula. The holistic approach I would advocate serves to better the client’s needs as whole, not just career related needs, and also serves as a reminder that every client is unique and has developed an exclusive view of the world and his or her relation to it. The use of eclectic theories, drawing on elements from more than one theory, is paramount in attaining the best possible results for the client and also in maintaining the holistic approach. By using theories in combination I would seek to minimize any weaknesses in any one of them. Trait and Factor Theory In the assessment phase I believe it is important to uncover where a client’s career and life choices have taken them to date, what their current aspirations and desires are and, how they see the future for themselves as a holistic endeavor. In Sharf p. 25, Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, trait and factor is said to be â€Å"the assessment of characteristics of the person and the job†. This theory is fundamental to Parson’s trait and factor theory and represented the genesis of the career development profession, although it was known as that at the time. Parsons developed a three point process he called â€Å"vocational guidance† in which he saw a one-on one process. This theory, I believe, underpins the whole process of career development theory and, therefore, career counselling. In a counselling situation the client’s broad goal is to seek a better life for his or herself, in uncovering a client’s traits and factors a platform is built on to which the rest of the counselling function relies. Life-span Theory Super, as quoted by Sharf on p. 203 of Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, (life-span theory) â€Å"makes use of two major concepts: life role and life stage. He espouses that important roles for an adult are, studying, working, community service, home and family, and leisure activities. The importance of these roles to an individual is governed by a person’s participation in the activity, commitment to the activity and how much the activity is valued. In gauging the salience of these factors, at a given time in the client’s history, we can discern his or her attitude to these factors at various stages of their lives. In counselling my emphasis would be on the attitude of the client at the present time and the projection of what it is likely to be in the future. Constructivist Theory On p. 63-264 of Sharf, Applying Career Development Theory to Counselling, Kelly is quoted as stating â€Å"individuals’ careers are a major means of giving one’s life role clarity and meaning. † He also proposes that each individual creates a unique perspective of their world and from this develop values around not only work but life as a whole. If one is to assist a client in achieving, the broad goal, of a better life then looking at life as a whole t hrough their own unique perspective is imperative. Worksite  At this stage of the process the client may or may not have a clear picture of what the worksite may look like. While his or her feelings over this issue are important it is relevant to consider that, in the case where a client does have a picture of a workplace, it may change as the counselling process develops. It is also important to recognize that the client may formulate an ideas around this subject at any time during the counselling process. Problem Identification and Formulation Practitioner Beliefs In my view if the preceding steps are applied with skill and thoroughness any existing problems will become evident. Having identified these problems it is necessary to formulate strategies to overcome them. Problems that may arise are lack of education, incongruence’s in attitude toward family life and the work world and self esteem issues to name but a few. Specific strategies to solve these problems are beyond the scope of this paper and I will therefore confine myself to procedures to uncover them and the theories that can be applied in formulating solutions, not the solutions themselves. Theories Having established the general traits of a client, i. e. abilities, values, personality, and interests, I would employ Super’s life-span theory and Kelly’s constructivist theory to continue to build on the platform established by trait and factor approach. In depicting a clients values by undertaking an exercises such as Super’s â€Å"life-career rainbow† an image forms as to the salience of life roles. These are child, student, leisure, citizen, worker and homemaker. The rainbow pictorially shows which of these elements has been important to the client and when. In addition I would employ the procedures, outlined in Kelly’s constructivist theory, the vocational reptest, laddering techniques and vocational card sets on a case by case basis. I have personal experience of a vocational card set when I completed the â€Å"Personality Dimensions† test at our local career counselling establishment. I found it invaluable in defining both my career objectives and revealing the kind of activities I should not consider undertaking. The question of formulating strategies for solving any inherent problems with a clients work/life roles I would engage in life space mapping as outlined on p. 1-73 from â€Å"Life Space Exploration and Description† by U. Beck in the course reading file. This interactive exercise serves as a brainstorming sessions and greatly assists the problem solving process. Worksite Having assessed the client fully and identified and solved any problems the client should be developing at least the genesis of an idea of what the worksite may look like. In order to bolster this I would encourage the client to engage in some research as to what may reasonable available to him or her. At this point I would suggest resources with labour market information such as www. orkingincanada. gc. ca, www. makingcareersense. org and www. workinfonet. bc. ca . I would strongly suggest that the client commit to having informational interviews with people in the fields of endeavor they are interested, congruently I would undertake some research of my own with a view to assisting the client. Goal Setting Practitioner Beliefs In order for a client to effectively follow a chosen career path it would be incumbent on me assist him or her in developing meaningful goals toward that end. It would be necessary to explore, with the client, the who what and where of their goal setting. I would assist the client in defining specific tasks, such as an informational interview, and outline with whom and when and follow up with the client to get feed-back on his or her experience. I would suggest to the client that building a network of people who are engaged in pursuits congruent with his own aspirations would be helpful. I have gleaned these values from my experiences with our local career counselling organization and have found them very beneficial to my aspirations. Theory The career mapping strategy as previously outlined would also be of value in etting the goals necessary to achieve the change the client has been seeking through counselling process. The theory that informational interviews and networking can be of great assistance, although not in any book I have read, are practiced at our local career counselling organization and have met with success. Worksite In my role in assisting a client to achieve their goals and make the change he or she desired in seeking counselling, I would play a supportive role by following up, with interest, on a clients progress. I would reinforce the idea of networking since a large percentage of positions are never advertised.  If a client is struggling to make the change he or she desires it may be efficacious to revisit one or both of the two previous phases. Conclusion I have assumed, in this paper that a client, seeking employment counselling, recognizes in him or herself the necessity for change. I see my role in the equation as one of exploration, guidance, and as source of information. In the exploration and guidance aspect of the relationship I would use an eclectic approach employing elements from different theories. I believe that this approach will lead to satisfying results for both the client and myself.