1. Career Counseling With Diverse Populations
SCCN 645
Adapted from the work of Williamson (2005)

2. Multicultural Career Counseling
Culture can refer to many aspects of life and living
Two people from the same race could share some values, attitudes, and so on, but might also be very different in their cultural makeup.
Counselors should be alert to value orientation when working with different cultural groups

3. Multicultural Career Counseling
Cultural variability includes:
Variability of worldviews including constructs of individualism & collectivism
Time orientation
View of Human nature
Personal space
Privacy

4. Findings Fouad & Byars-Winston (2005) Metanalysis
Byars-Winston, A. M., Fouad, N. A. (2006). Metacognition and multicultural competence: Expanding the culturally appropriate career counseling model. The Career Development Quarterly, 54,
Findings
Fouad & Byars-Winston (2005) Metanalysis
No difference in career aspirations by self-reported racial/ethnic groups
Racial/ethnic minorities perceived fewer career opportunities and greater barriers
Hold that counselors should evaluate their culturally-relevant metacognitions when working with clients
Poses the CACCM with their own 7 steps
Assert that “cultural differences in norms, values, and expectations significantly shape the emergence and recognition of a career problem operate not only for the client but also for the counselor.”

5. Multicultural Career Counseling
Culture does have an important role in work-related values.
Differences between cultures helps us understand employee attitudes, values, behaviors, & interpersonal dynamics
Counselors must be aware of different cultural orientations when establishing rapport.
Necessary skill areas include awareness of differences, self-awareness, knowledge of client’s culture, and adaptation of counseling methods, materials, & procedures.

6. Multicultural Career Counseling
Optimal theory is multidimensional in nature and emphasizes how
Specific cultures influence and develop worldviews
The human universality of themes cut across cultures
The uniqueness of the individual is developed

7. Multicultural Career Counseling
Multicultural counseling and therapy theory (MCT) was developed because many contemporary theories of counseling do not deal adequately with the complexity of culturally diverse populations.
We must balance the focus of counseling, expand the repertoire of helping responses, identify indigenous helping roles, and develop alternatives to the conventional counseling role.

8. Multicultural Career Counseling
Immigrants have special needs that involve premigration process as well as the adjustment process in a new & different culture.
Adjustment to a new culture includes transitions of reconstructing social networks, adjusting to a new socioeconomic system, and learning a different cultural system.

9. Multicultural Career Counseling
Counselors must develop a great sensitivity to culturally diverse clients when conducting an interview.
Technique issues include:
Eye contact
Touch
Probing questions
Space & distance
Verbal style
Restrictive emotions
Confrontation
self-disclosure
Focus on self-in relation & self-in-context

10. Career Development of African American (AA) Clients
Swinton (1992) concluded that AA are disadvantaged economically and occupationally
36.9% of AA men, but 61.8% of White men were employed in “good” jobs in 1990 (i.e., executives, administrators, etc.)
45.2% of AA men, and 23.9% of White men were employed in “bad” jobs (i.e., laborers, service workers, material movers, etc.)

11. Career Development of African American Clients
Trait-Factor Theories
Possibly do not consider unique needs, intertwined with psychological testing of minorities and ability testing (Anastasi, 1982; Franklin, 1991, et. al.)
Super’s Theory
Question of whether career maturity applies across SES and ethnic background (Smith, 1983)

12. Career Development of African American Clients
Holland’s Theory
Miller, Springer, and Wells (1988) found that most of their AA respondents recorded Social type as highest or second highest personality type
Gottfredson (1978) reported that realistic and social jobs surfaced as the most frequent source of jobs for AA
Gottfredson also found AA are poorly represented in Enterprising work at all levels

13. Career Development of Hispanic Clients
Predicted to soon be the majority, minority group
Include heritages of Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Central America, or Spain
Largest groups: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban
Concentrated more in lower-paid, lesser-skilled occupations of the work force
Progress is being made with subsequent generations

14. Career Development of Hispanic Clients
Arbona (1990) suggested that middle-class and college-educated Mexican Americans and Anglos are similar in their attitude towards work
Many variations in generational immigration and attained level of education
Luzzo (1992) found that Hispanic college students did not differ from their white-American peers in career decision-making skills, attitudes, or vocational congruence

15. Career Development of Asian Americans
Since 1980’s this population grew by 70%
Into the 2000’s continue to grow by 40-50%
First generation student = “Superstudent”
Diverse Group heritages include Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, Thai, Korean

16. Career Development of Asian Americans
80% of all Asian Americans are in college 2 yrs. after high school – education is viewed as vehicle to mobility
Family structure important – education is tied to values of home
Typical male occupations (investigative types) – engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians
Females are sex-typed like whites, but generally lean towards investigative types

17. Career Development of Asian Americans
Might prematurely constrict choices based on prestige. May ignore variables such as interest and aptitude.
Directive counseling preferable, authoritative style – counselor who is confident and provides structure, interpretation, and solutions to problems
May place emphasis on extrinsic values: money, stability, and security
Involve parents in intervention – linear social values

18. Career Development of Native Americans
No other group has experienced deeper prejudiced or is in a less-advantaged posture (Herr, Cramer, & Niles, 2005)
Nearly 50% of all NA live on NA lands and some 275 reservations
Concentrated Los Angeles, San Francisco, & Chicago
Over 450 recognized tribes (Casas & Arbona, 1992)

19. Career Development of Native Americans
Values significantly different from mainstream: sharing, cooperation, the group, a circular time orientation, harmony with nature, and respect for elders (Herring, 1996)
Extremely high unemployment rate
Enter a restricted number of occupations (1/3rd of the relatively few who attend college, earned their degrees in education or social sciences)

20. Career Development of Native Americans
Self-efficacy has been measured as lower than that of Whites and Hispanics (Lauver & Jones, 1991)
NA tend to prefer a counselor with similar ethnicity
Parents seem to have a greater impact on their children than other, particularly, majority groups (Lee, 1984)

21. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Women are reassessing their career priorities and looking beyond the traditional feminine working roles.
Even though women are being given great opportunities to expand their career choice, barriers to the changing role of women in the working world still exist.

22. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
In response to the women’s movement, men are reexamining their roles, beliefs, & relationships with women.
The Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, Division 51 of the American Psychological Association was formed to study gender roles & masculinity.

23. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Several Career Theorists have addressed women’s issues
Super was one of the major career development theorists who addressed career development patterns of women.
He classified them into 7 categories: stable, homemaking,conventional,stable working, double track, interrupted, unstable, and multiple trial.
Super among others viewed career development of women as different from men.

24. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Ginzberg denoted three lifestyle dimensions:
Traditional (homemaker-oriented)
Transitional (more emphasis on home than on job.)
Innovative (giving equal emphasis to job & home)

25. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Zytowski (1960s) labeled vocational developmental patterns of women as:
Mild vocational
Moderate vocational
Unusual vocational
(Stages similar to Ginzberg)
Through vocational participation, woman can change their modal lifestyle. Patterns of vocational participation for women are determined by age at entry, the length of time that a woman works, and the type of work undertaken. Further determinants include: individual motivation, ability, environmental circumstances (such as financial need)

26. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
In the late 1970s, Sanguiliano (1978) emphasized the theme of different and special needs of women.
He suggests that a woman’s life cycle does not follow a rigid progression of developmental tasks and that attention should focus on unique paths that women take to break away from gender role stereotyping.

27. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Counselors must be aware of unique influences that shape gender role development. Cultural groups have some special needs that must be addressed and individual differences within groups must be recognized.
Each individual is influenced by a number of specific cultural and situational factors that contribute to gender stereotyping. Tentative gender boundaries are established in childhood. Gender role is intensified in adolescence. It is not certain how and to what extent gender differences remain stable among adults.

28. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Some special needs of men & women are:
Gender stereotyping beliefs
Fear of feminity and restrictive emotionally restrictive emotionally among ment
Sexual harassment in the workplace
Problems for both men & women associated with achievement
Competition and self-destructive bahaviors

29. Gender Issues in Career Counseling
Counseling approaches should be free of gender role typing. Counseling strategy components include working climate, expressiveness training, dual career, & lifestyle skills.

30. Issues Facing Dual-Career Families
The family influence on career development has been a significantly relevant issue.
The family is conceptualized as a social system.
The nuclear family is the most common in the US. The extended family is the most common around the world.

31. Issues Facing Dual-Career Families
Current trends in family systems include:
increased number of single adults,
postponement of marriage,
decreased childbearing,
more female participation in the labor force,
more divorce,
more single-parent families,
more children living in poverty,
more remarriage,
increased years without children,
and more multigeneration families

32. Issues Facing Dual-Career Families
There is a typical issue within dual career families involving struggles for gender equity of household and child care tasks and of work recognition.

33. Issues Facing Dual-Career Families
Issues facing dual career couples are:
Expectations of work and family
Role Conflict
Child Care
Geographic Moves
Competition
Relationship factors
Numbers of personal factors

34. Issues Facing Dual-Career Families
Implications of career counseling include:
Illuminating underlying issues of gender equity
Couple communication
Sharing exercises
Family and career status
Conflict resolution

35. Career Counseling for Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Clients
G/L/B persons have special needs because of their sexual orientation that should be addressed in career counseling.
There are estimates of between 5 and 25 million g/l/b persons in this country.
More organizations are supporting gay and lesbian associations and networks. Many regard gay men and lesbian women as another diverse group in the workplace.

36. Career Counseling for Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Clients
Individuals with a sexual orientation of g/l/b continue to be stereotyped as to the kinds of jobs they should hold;
are threatened by violence often resulting from homophobia,
form a dislike for themselves through internalized homophobia;
and generally receive negative feedback from a society that views heterosexuality as the only viable lifestyle.

37. Sexual Minorities: Assessing Identity
Cass (1979) model of sexual identity development
Stage 1. Identity Confusion- not knowing or understanding much about his or her own sexual minority orientation
Stage 2. Identity Comparison- the individual acknowledges the possibility of being attracted to the same sex
Stage 3. Identity Tolerance- the individual tolerates rather than accepts and identification of an individual whose sexual orientation is different

38. Sexual Minorities: Assessing Identity
Stage 4. Identity Acceptance- this stage is characterized by continued contacts with other l/g/b persons to validate a new identity and a new way of life
Stage 5. Identity Pride- the individual takes pride in disclosing an identity as l/g/b
Stage 6. Identity Synthesis- when one accepts his or her sexuality

39. Career Counseling for Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Clients
Discrimination in the workplace can involve:
Threats
Lack of Promotion
Black mail
Ostracism
Sexual harassment
Exclusion or avoidance
Termination
The Lavender Ceiling
Mixture of Blue and Pink, “two-spirited” or “twin-spirited”

40. Career Counseling for Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Clients
Unique issues g/l/b persons bring to counseling can be resolved in career counseling with some adaptations and modifications.
Six stages that can be included within career counseling models are:
Precounseling preparation
Establishing an affirmative trusting relationship
Client identification issues
Identify variables that can limit career choice
Tailored assessment
Job search strategies

41. Two Major Models of Multicultural Career Counseling

42. Values-Based Multicultural Career Counseling (VBMCC)

43. Values-Based, Multicultural Approach
Work of Duane Brown
Based on a culmination of research on values and multiculturalism from psychology and a variety of other literature bases
Assumes that values can be defined within a culture and must be addressed as truths in career counseling
Unique in the approaches integration of advocacy in the career counseling process

44. Values-Based, Multicultural Approach
This approach addresses 8 core areas:
The assessment of cultural variables
Assess early and sensitively
For example, “I am aware that in many Asian American families, the family selects the occupation for the children. Before we begin, I would appreciate it if you would help me understand who will make the decision in this case.”
A culturally appropriate relationship
Sensitivity to broader ethnic group
SOLER nonverbal communication model

45. 8 Core areas continued The facilitation of the decision-making process
Who makes the decision?
The identification of career issues (assessment)
Is crisis career counseling needed?
3 suggested, qualitative assessment devices
Pattern Identification
Achievement Profiling
Lifeline

46. 8 Core areas continued
The establishment of culturally appropriate goals
Are client, family, and culture’s goals the same?
“Did your_____ affect this goal you set?”
The selection of culturally appropriate interventions
Possibly a mediation process when working with individuals who have a collateral social value orientation.

47. 8 Core areas continued
The implementation and evaluation of the interventions used
Interventions aligned with goals
Evaluation based on level of goal attainment
Advocacy
Requires working as a mediator between clients and industry
Being aware of relevant information and resources

48. Culturally Appropriate Career Counseling Model

49. 7 General Steps
Step 1: Establishing a Culturally Appropriate Relationship
Set the context for a working relationship
Empathy, warmth, and positive regard
Step 2: Identification of Career Issues
Help explore environment issues, role of race/ethnicity, external barriers – sexism or racism in the work environment

50. 7 General Steps (Cont’d)
Step 3: Assessing the Impact of Cultural Variables on Career Issues
Explore how behavior has been a product of client’s culture
Consider behaviors client wants to continue or change
Help client understand spheres of influence (e.g., gender, family, racial group, etc.)and how they are operating

51. 7 General Steps (Cont’d)
Step 4: Setting Culturally Appropriate Processes and Goals
Client-centered, co-created
Step 5: Implementing Culturally Appropriate Interventions
Consider other information data in the case (e.g., assessment measures)
Advocacy within a school setting, Pushing client past foreclosure, etc.

52. 7 General Steps (Cont’d)
Step 6 and 7: Decision-Making and Implementation
Help client make a decision relative to goals and formulate a plan to implement
For example, client may choose to confront family values, sex-type roles, assertiveness skills in confrontations, etc.