Anna Lora Taylor, M.S. & Emily Brown, M.A. Creative Strategies for Addressing Barriers to Postsecondary Education and Careers Anna Lora Taylor, M.S. & Emily Brown, M.A.

Your Roadmap Draw a roadmap of your journey to your current career. What stops did you make along the way? What bumps in the road did you face? What roadblocks did you encounter? Did you have dead ends? Identify these on your map. Draw maps, share with a partner, large group discussion - what did you notice from the roadmap activity? What surprised you? What common roadblocks or bumps did you and your partner have?

Barriers What are barriers you or your students/clients often encounter when pursuing postsecondary education? When pursuing careers?

Possible Barriers Unsure of what career to pursue Finances Transportation Lack of role models/Negative role models Lack of support - friends, parents Discrimination Family issues - responsibilities at home, feeling guilty about moving away Lack of guidance and resources Lack of preparedness/social skills Fear of not fitting in People from disadvantaged backgrounds will face more barriers. Therefore we consider cultural influences when working with our clients and attempting to help them overcome possible barriers. Culture is a broad term that includes the way of life among a group of people - common beliefs, values, behaviors, communication, symbols that are often accepted without consciously thinking about it.

Hays (2001) ADDRESSING Model Age and generational influences What are the Age-related issues and generational influences on this client? (e.g., children, adolescents, elders) Disabilities (developmental, acquired later in life) What is the client’s experience with Disability? Are there any disabilities that are not immediately apparent or experiences of the impact of disability as a caregiver? (e.g., disability as physical, cognitive, psychological) Religion and spiritual orientation What is the client’s Religious upbringing, and current beliefs and practices? Ethnic and racial identity What is the client’s meaning of Ethnic identity? (e.g., people of Asian, Latino, Arab heritage) Socioeconomic Status What is the client’s current Socioeconomic status as defined by his occupation, income, education, marital status, gender, ethnicity, community, and family name? How might this be different from upbringing? Sexual orientation What is the client’s Sexual orientation? (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, not assuming heterosexuality even if previously married) Indigenous heritage What Indigenous heritage might the client hold? (e.g., Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, American Indians) National Origin What is the client’s National identity and primary language? (e.g., immigrants, refugees, international students) Gender What Gender-related information (e.g., regarding roles, expectations, and relationships) is significant given the client’s cultural heritage and identity as a whole? (e.g., women, transgender) Reference: Hays, P. A. (2001). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: A framework for clinicians and counselors. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Model for considering cultural identity when entering counseling relationships. Cross cultural work involves beginning with an exploration of your own identity in each of these influences. Recognizing areas in which you are in the dominant group will help you become more aware of how your personal identities can limit your knowledge base and experience.

Using the ADDRESSING Framework Recognize the ADDRESSING influences on your own life (with humility, compassion, and critical thinking) Consider the ADDRESSING influences on the client as a way to seek to understand and build relationships Consider how your cultural identities are interacting with those of the client Do not assume you are knowledgeable about the client’s personal experience of his or her culture even if you are knowledgeable about that cultural group (mindful of stereotyping) Outside of the career counseling setting, learn about the diverse identities that clients hold

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) Major Tenants Self-Efficacy Beliefs Beliefs about one’s ability to complete tasks and reach goals Can I do this? Outcome Expectations Beliefs about what the outcome of performing a behavior will be What will happen if I do this? Interest, Choice, & Performance Self-efficacy: Can I be a nurse? -4 main sources of information: Prior performance accomplishments, vicarious learning, social persuasion, psychological/affective reactions Outcome expectations: What additional job opportunities will be available if I become a nurse? -Not as influential as self-efficacy…Ex. Even if more job opportunities, I’m not likely to enroll in a program if I don’t believe I will be successful. SCCT assumes that people are likely to become interested in, choose to pursue, and perform better at activities at which they have strong self-efficacy beliefs and accurate outcome expectations, as long as they also have necessary skills and environmental supports to pursue these activities.

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) Contextual Influences (Barriers & Supports) Person Inputs - Predispositions - Gender - Race/ethnicity - Disability/ Health status Self-efficacy Expectations Learning Experiences Interests Goals Actions Background Contextual Affordances Background Outcome Expectations Performance Attainment Bandura: Personal attributes, environment impact what things we learn. This in turn influences our self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations. Barriers and supports can interact throughout SCCT counseling attempts to identify inaccurate self-efficacy beliefs & outcome expectations. Then create new learning experiences to build stronger and more accurate self efficacy beliefs. Modified model of SCCT (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994)

Problem Emergence Problems in career development emerge when: Individuals prematurely foreclose occupational or educational options due to inaccurate self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, or both (Brown & Lent, 1996) Individuals don’t consider options due to barriers they perceive as insurmountable

Treatment Process Assess the client's self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and perception of barriers Help the client identify inaccuracies in their self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and perceived barriers. Work together to modify and strengthen self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations through various avenues including success experiences, role models, and career exploration.

Assessment in SCCT First we need to examine clients’ self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and perception of barriers Career in Culture Interview Career Road Map Barriers Balance Sheet

Addressing Perceived Barriers Overcoming Barriers Planning Sheet Develop strategies to address barriers Identifying resources and supports Career Exploration Creating Success Experiences Identifying Role Models

Career Exploration Resources Career OneStop: http://www.careeronestop.org/ Learn about careers, find career info, career resources & advice Career changers, veterans, laid-off worker, worker with criminal conviction, entry level workers RoadTrip Nation: http://roadtripnation.com/roadmap - Choose interests and see professionals in these areas. Video clips Job Shadow: http://www.jobshadow.com/ - Shadow real people’s jobs online The Career Project: http://www.thecareerproject.org/ - Personal accounts of professionals in a wide variety of jobs Learn How to Become One: http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/ What will it take for me to get to the career I'm interested in?

Case Study Maria is a 40-year old Latina mother of three living in a rural community, who recently lost her job as a bank teller due to the poor economy. She is a high school graduate and has over 15 years of collective work experience. Due to her recent unemployment, Maria and her family are experiencing extreme financial hardship. Maria’s husband, Robert, has a construction job. The family shares one car, which makes it difficult for Maria to travel to job interviews. Prior to being laid off, Maria was considering returning to community college to pursue her dream of obtaining an associate’s degree in nursing. Due to recent circumstances, she now questions if it is possible. When she meets with you, she is considering options, but her most pressing need is a job to help her family financially.