Career Counseling in a Diverse Term Paper

No matter how intelligent a person is and how successful he can be, there are many reasons for him to choose a career not really worthy of his talents. This can be due to the conception that some races do not succeed in a certain field. Similarly some women might want to become a space technician but not really take it up believing that women are not welcomed there or that it is a male dominant occupation. Cook, Heppner, and O'Brien (2002) note: "occupational success can be largely attributable to individual merit has never applied to everyone because of pervasive and powerful contextual barriers" (p. 294).

In order to have the required competencies to deal with a diverse population as a career counselor, Fouad and Bingham and some others suggest a culturally appropriate framework. They maintain that this framework must include:

Maintaining a relationship which is considered appropriate by the person

Information presented and worked with should be culturally inclusive in nature

Understanding of various emotional, cultural and ethnic factors that affect career choices

Assessing cultural influence

Determining the extent to which age, gender and race affect a person's career path

Applying some traditional tools of assessment

It is important for the career counselor to understand the language limitation of a diverse group. Not everyone would be speaking the local language comfortably and they may have problem understanding the counselor's comments and advice.

References

Brown, D. "The Role of Work and Cultural Values in Occupational Choice, Satisfaction, and Success: A Theoretical Statement." JOURNAL of COUNSELING & DEVELOPMENT 80, no. 1 (Winter 2002): 48-56.

Carter, R.T., and Constantine, M.G. "Maturity, Life Role Salience, and Racial/Ethnic Identity in Black and Asian-American College Students." JOURNAL of CAREER ASSESSMENT 8, no. 2 (Spring 2000): 173-187.

Cook, E.P.; Heppner, M.J.; and O'Brien, K.M. "Career Development of Women of Color and White Women: Assumptions, Conceptualization, and Interventions from an Ecological Perspective." CAREER DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY 50, no. 4 (June 2002): 291-305.

Hartung, P.J.; Fouad, N.A.; Leong, F.T.L.; and Hardin, E. "Cultural Value Orientation, Family Expectations, and Career Development." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2002. (ED 470-007)

Walsh, W.B. et al., eds. CAREER COUNSELING for…