Essay on Theoretical Models in Careers Guidance Practice

A professional who holds a Master’s degree in counseling my also chose to have a career as a Vocational counselors. They may also be referred to as a career or employment counselors. These counselors offer counseling services in places other than the school setting. Their main objective is to help individuals with career choices, examine an educational background, employment history, skill and abilities, personalities and other aspects to help them. Additionally, career counselors may offer support services to people who have lost their jobs or experiencing career change issues (Baxter, 1997).

During the interview, Stashia presented issues of career changed frequently as she diverted from majoring in one career path to another. She divulged in the interview that she had once listened to others and not decided on her own path. She reported changing her major, considered doing things differently if she could, and not having taken any vocational assessments that would have helped her. The writer will conceptualize interviewees barriers with theories of career counseling.

After high school students are faced with the decision to continue pursuing a more advanced education or going into the workforce as society would label it “uneducated”. Although there are more deciding factors than simply

Preparation: This change is when the individual’s attitude and self-regulation begins to increase at this stage. It could also include the contemplation stage since both are increasing commitment.

Often times, the experiences an individual goes through in life influences one’s future path. In an effort to ensure young people in society are adequately equipped with the means necessary to hold a stable, well-paying job, education becomes the main focus. For many individuals, however, schooling may become second on the priority list to a job as the finances needed to attend school become apparent, and adds to other financial burdens that also exist in a youth’s life. Even though unemployment is found across the globe and is affecting people of all ages, the fact of the matter is that the new generation looking for jobs are those that have the most trouble finding work; ultimately, youth unemployment is a rising concern that may lead to social unrest, economic issues, and personal health problems. Youth unemployment is the cause of many negative factors contributing to uneducated adults and the lack of a stable community, and, because of this, changed must be made in order to make things easier on youth that are trying to pursue a career of choice, make a stable income, and get further educated outside of high school.

This article is about theories of career development. By applying the theories to my career developments, evaluating the strength and weakness of those theories, then I took my parents’ working experience as examples, finally came up with my theory that should be used when making a vocational choice.

Though well rounded, Parsons was most interested in social reform and helping people to make rational and successful occupational choices (Glosoff 2009). Parsons’ experiences and interest in making occupational decisions influenced his decision to develop a model (Glosoff, 2009). Because of his work in this area, Parsons had been coined the first career counselor, as well as the father of guidance (Glosoff, 2009). Parsons’ model is recognized for being a well-thought-out and organized social philosophy, due to the quality and thorough articulation of his work (Glosoff, 2009).

Great proportions of students quit school during their educational careers. Amongst the 16-24 year-olds, a decline has been evident since the ages of 1967. (Child trend, appendix 1) There are numerous, complex causes for this reason. A problematic situation such as this often seems like an endless solution. Some causes are due to social and personal concerns.

Patton and McMahon (2006) developed a systems theory framework for development of careers called the Therapeutic Framework. The system categorizes the various factors that influence the choice of career into individual factors (for both the learner who is to choose their career and their counselor), organizational factors, or environmental factors (Patton & McMahon, 2006). The system also recognizes the effect of timing on these factors; thus incorporating the aspects of past, present and future (McMahon, Forde, & Dickson, 2015).

Developing a vocational identity would be another important strategy to address since the client is uncertain about his vocational identity. Creating a strategy to help the client with his decision-making will help the client choose a specific topic to focus on in his future career. Lastly, helping the client with a strategy for job search is also important since the client has never held a job. Assessing each one of these strategies will help the client with his future career development process.

The second step in the change theory is the transition stage. Once people are unfrozen, the problem now shifts to how to keep them going. This is now the actual change process a stage that is characterized by confusion as people try to change from the old to new ways. This stage is further characterized by fear because people tend to be unsure and is the hardest step in the whole process (Schein, 1995). During transition, new behaviors are developed, values and attitudes. It is achieved through development techniques and change in existing organizational structures. People undergoing this stage need to be given ample time to adapt to new ways. Of uttermost importance during this stage is support. Support is offered in terms of coaching and training as well as acceptance that mistakes will be part of the transition process (Smith, 2001).

Follow-up systems with clients influence the success of an action plan. I assume, as the book states, that the counselor is challenged with feelings of disappointment and failure when the client fails to observe their action plan. Principal to effective counseling is the counselor’s capacity to uphold a reliable, empathetic, and unprejudiced methodology when adversity surfaces. When reflecting on my previous experiences with career counselors, the practice of follow-up was nonexistent. After reading chapter ten, I recognize and welcome the value of follow-up and as a result I appreciate the delicate but absolute teamwork between counselor and client.

Krumboltz (2014) theory could be useful for this client. This theory normalizes anxiety and emphasizes the importance of meeting the client where they are. Given the want for change, but anxiety around changing careers – this could be beneficial for the interviewee. It appears to be a more holistic approach that I believe would work well for this individual. This particular person is currently struggling with decision-making and Krumboltz does not view

For many people, finding a career that is both fulfilling and practical is a strenuous task. Fortunately, there is a plethora of different interventions, techniques, assessments, and inventories designed to aid those individuals in making the wisest career choices possible. But are any of those routes inherently better than the others? Or are all the differing options separate but equally effective? Donald Super’s Life Span Theory and John Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice are just two of the many theories used for career counseling. Both methods are distinct in the way they approach career issues, yet despite their differences, there are some resemblances between the two theories as well. Comparing and contrasting these two theories will make it easier to see if one theory is better than the other for career counseling or if they are both equally effective.

According to Capuzzi & Stauffer (2012), the tenuous, but nonetheless important, relationship between the different stages in career and life are understood to be explored in clients in two different stages of change. The first stage is known as the transtheoretical model of behavioral change. This model consists of six stages that clients experience during the onset of their change (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2012). The stages of change are (DiClemente, 2003): precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination (p. 527). Depending on the issue the client is dealing with will determine what stage he or she is at. For example, in the precontemplation stage, clients lack