Career Counseling For African Americans

Topics in this volume include: basic issues in career counselling for African Americans; career assessment; vocational and personal considerations; and future directions in career counselling theory.

This volume presents the single most comprehensive source of knowledge on the career development of racial and ethnic minorities. In so doing, it serves as a resource to graduate students learning about career development and career counseling, counselors and psychologists providing career counseling to racial and ethnic minorities, and psychologists and counselors doing research on the career development of these diverse groups. In recognition of the value of both culture-specific and culture-general information about the vocational psychology of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, the book has a dual focus. The first eight chapters are devoted to culture-specific information about career development and vocational behavior. The final two chapters synthesize and integrate the materials presented in the eight culture-specific chapters. The text has been divided into three sections. The first section focuses on career theory and research with racial and ethnic minorities. It consists of a review of the relevance and utility of various career theories and models from mainstream vocational psychology to our understanding of the vocational behavior and career development of racial and ethnic minorities -- African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians. These chapters also summarize other theories from ethnic minority psychology that add to our understanding of minority career development. Finally, they review the existing empirical literature on the career development of these groups and provide a critique of this literature with recommendations for future research. The second section focuses on assessment and intervention with racial and ethnic minorities. The inclusion of the assessment dimension is very important because assessment is such a large and significant component of the career counseling process with these groups. The chapter authors offer guidelines and recommendations for providing career interventions with racial and ethnic minorities. In presenting these guidelines, they also address some of the cultural factors unique to each group that may serve either as facilitators or as inhibitors in the career counseling process. The third section includes commentaries, suggestions, reactions, and syntheses of the previous sections from scholars in the field of vocational psychology. These authors identify and examine the common principles, problems, and themes running across the chapters, and offer suggestions for advancing the field of racial and ethnic minority vocational psychology. This book will become both a valuable source of current information about the vocational psychology of racial and ethnic minorities as well as an inspiration for future research into the career development and vocational behavior of these culturally different individuals.

Using a developmental perspective, this book examines the various stages in career growth and decline, problems involved in career change and more. Material addresses not only career counseling for the majority but the unique characteristics of counseling for diverse populations.

This volume will examine the historical emergence of the concept of career including early ideas about the meaning and role of work and how it fits with life. The concept of career development is of relatively recent origin. It was not until the early 20th Century that serious attention was given to the role of work and career as it applied to the common man. While the concept of “vocation” has historical roots that date back centuries, vocation (or calling) was typically only applied to the professions of the clergy, law and medicine. These individuals had careers, while the common man had a job. Perhaps the most significant event that changed both the labor market and the associated socio-cultural values about work was the 2nd World War. The technological advances that were brought about by the war were profound in terms of changing the nature of work, and the war brought about a significant change in the gender makeup of our labor force as millions of women entered the labor market to support the war effort. The combined effects of technology, a radical new value system, and a burgeoning economy changed everything.

“This book establishes a new standard. The focus on ‘holism, diversity, and strengths’ sets a fresh direction for the field that will inspire today’s counselors. Distinct from other texts both in terms of style and ease of use, Career Counseling provides a practical model that connects theory, practice, and resources in hopeful and affirming ways, while offering readers new skills and insights.” —Rich Feller, PhD University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Colorado State University Past President, National Career Development Association “Gysbers, Heppner, and Johnston have continued their excellent contributions to the field with this 4th edition. Their approach is highly practical for counselors in helping diverse clients prepare for and manage the changing workplace and economy. I enthusiastically recommend this book as a must-have resource for counseling professionals and as a textbook for graduate counseling programs.” —Kenneth F. Hughey, PhD Kansas State University “We invite all students, professionals, and researchers to read this volume to enrich their practice, research, and the values by which they should be inspired to persist in being active agents of change in the world.” —Laura Nota, PhD, and the Larios Vocational Psychology Team University of Padova, Italy The latest edition of this bestseller will help both counselors-in-training and experienced clinicians update and expand their existing knowledge and skills in career counseling with clients of all ages and circumstances. Significant attention is placed on expanding the career options and empowering the life choices of women; men; racial and ethnic minorities; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clients; clients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds; and individuals with disabilities. Additional topics discussed include traditional and postmodern career theories and approaches, forming a productive alliance with the client, effective use of assessment inventories and instruments, helping clients respond to changes in the workplace and family life, working with resistant clients, developing client action plans, and bringing closure to the counseling process. A new chapter titled “Using Social Media in Career Counseling” rounds out this exceptional book. *Requests for digital versions from the ACA can be found on wiley.com. *To request print copies, please visit the ACA website here. *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected].

The goal of this book is to give career counselors knowledge awareness, and skills to work with diverse girls and women to make their lives as authentic, meaningful, and rewarding as they can possibly be. It is designed to help career counselors work with diverse girls and women as they pursue the ever widening choices in their lives. In addition, the text: *focuses on the history of the field and provides the social-historical context for its development; *discusses basic issues and concepts in the career development and counseling of women; *discusses the needs of women from different ethnic backgrounds, income levels, and sexual preferences; *reviews critical gender issues in many forms of qualitative and quantitative assessment; *describes the use of a critical feminist approach to career counseling; *discusses dual career and dual earners' career needs; *focuses on the rapid growth in science/technology/engineering and mathematical (STEM) occupational fields; and *examines the career counseling needs of women in management positions. Handbook of Career Counseling for Women, Second Edition appeals to anyone interested in their own career development and those of clients, students, daughters, and other important girls and women in their life.

This practiced-based handbook describes postmodern career counseling models and methods designed to meet clients’ diverse needs in today’s challenging work environment. Readers will gain a solid understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of postmodern career counseling and learn practical approaches to counseling clients of various ages and backgrounds on occupational choice and other issues, such as coping with developmental tasks, career transitions, and work traumas. Drawing directly from their experiences with clients, career counseling experts link theory to practice in 17 application chapters that demonstrate the process of postmodern career assessment and intervention embedded in culture and context. Multicultural case vignettes and a “Practical Application Guide” in each of these chapters facilitate classroom learning and discussion. *Requests for digital versions from the ACA can be found on wiley.com. *To request print copies, please visit the ACA website here. *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]

Goes beyond traditional “job hunt strategies” to provide innovative solutions targeted to specific populations This graduate text for courses in career counseling is distinguished by its emphasis on creative interventions tailored to the unique needs of diverse populations. With a focus on career as a cornerstone of personal identity, the book explores the specific meaning of careers within different cultures and examines the challenges faced by—and potential solutions for--individuals with diverse backgrounds and needs. It describes unique interventions that allow counseling students to visualize and actualize career counseling with a wide range of clients and demonstrates techniques targeted to each population that can be put into practice immediately. The text provides demographic information regarding specific job-seeking groups including such “traditional” populations as college graduates and working parents, as well as groups that encounter special challenges such as stay-at-home parents returning to work, formerly incarcerated individuals, people with disabilities, teen mothers, African American, Hispanic and Asian males and females, older adults, LGBT individuals, and many others. Over fifty creative, innovative interventions that have been successfully applied help counselors to provide effective career development strategies with each population. Chapters include a vignette representing each population, group demographics, a history of career paths and obstacles, unique needs of the group, supports already in place, and specific career counseling assessment and interventions. The book also provides abundant resources for additional study. In addition to its value to career counselors, the text will also be useful to personal counselors who often deal with their client’s career issues during treatment. Key Features: Provides in-depth exploration of underserved populations who hold unique career development needs Includes innovative career counseling interventions that move beyond standard “job hunt strategies” or “resume preparation tips” Explores life stage concerns related to career development across multiple diverse identities Gives readers step-by-step details on implementing over 40 innovative career counseling techniques Presents case studies that provide clear examples of the application of relevant interventions