Career Development and Diverse Populations Chapter 4 Definition

Career Development and Diverse Populations Chapter 4

Definition of Multicultural Counseling • A helping process that places the emphasis for counseling theory and practice equally on the cultural impression of both the counselor and the client (Axelson, 1985)

Predictions by Johnston and Packer • Average of workforce will rise while the pool of young workers will decrease. • More women will enter the workforce. • Minorities will make up a larger share of the new entrants into the workforce. • Immigrants will make up the largest share of increase in the population and workforce since World War I.

Some Basic Facts • Unemployment rate for African Americans has been above 11% each year since 1978 (2 1/2 times the rate for Whites). • Only 36. 9% of African American men are employed as executives, administrators, salespersons, and managers (compared to 61. 8% for White men).

Some Basic Facts, continued • More than half of employed Hispanic women are clerical workers or operatives. • Poverty rate of Native Americans is twice (23. 7%) that of the general population. • Men are 18. 7 times as likely to be in higher prestige occupations in science, math, or technology than women. • Only 33. 6% of persons with disabilities are in the workforce.

American Assumptions • • • Individualism and autonomy Affluence Opportunity open to all Centrality of work in people’s lives Linearity and rationality of the career development process

Universal or Culture-Specific Models? • Etic perspectives - maintain that career interventions for members of minority groups should be the same as those used for the majority. • Emic perspectives - highlight the importance of offering career development interventions that are specific to the client’s culture.

Universal Elements of Healing in All Cultures (Fischer et al. ) • • The therapeutic relationship Shared worldview Client expectations Ritual or intervention

Acculturation • The process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group (Stein, 1975) • Language familiarity and usage, cultural heritage, ethnicity, ethnic pride and identity, interethnic interactions, and interethnic distance influence acculturation (Padilla, 1980) • Persons may be marginal (not accepting either culture fully) or bicultural (accepting both fully)

Racial Identity Models • Models of racial identity help us understand that the status of racial identity -- for both counselors and clients -- can influence the career intervention process at several levels.

Using Assessment • Must assure that assessment is valid, reliable, and appropriate for the client’s cultural and linguistic context. • Must assure that the test does not have cultural bias.

Five Stages of Racial Identity Development (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue) • • • Conformity Dissonance Resistance and immersion Introspection Synergy

Cross Model • • • Pre-encounter Encounter Immersion-Emersion Internalization-Commitment

Gender Differences in Socialization • Stereotypically reinforce competition and skill mastery in boys, relationships and connectedness in girls • Affect initial selection of occupation and opportunities for mentoring and promotion

Feminist Identity Model (Gysbers, Heppner, & Johnson) • • • Stage 1: Passive Acceptance Stage 2: Revelation Stage 3: Embeddedness-Emancipation Stage 4: Synthesis Stage 5: Active Commitment

Special Needs of Women (Cook, Heppner, & O’Brien) • Dealing with attending to the needs of others • Learning to negotiate in the workplace • Accessing quality child care • Handling sexual harassment in the workplace • Accessing mentors

Special Needs of Men • Understanding how socialization has influenced their career behaviors • Learning to express feelings • Learning how to manage and reduce stress • Identifying strategies to participate more fully in life roles other than work

Four-Stage Model of Lesbian Identity Development (Sophie) • Stage 1: Awareness of homosexual feelings without disclosing these to others • Stage 2: Testing and exploration of emerging homosexual identity with limited disclosure to heterosexuals • Stage 3: Identity acceptance and preference for gay social interactions • Stage 4: Identify integration with movement from a dichotomous (homosexual, heterosexual) worldview to integrated

Six-Stage Model of Identity Development for Gay Men and Lesbian Women (Cass, 1979) • • • Confusion Comparison Tolerance Acceptance Pride Synthesis

Five-Stage Model of Lesbian Identity Development (Chapman & Brannock) • Same-sex orientation -- feeling different about other females, but lacking a name for those feelings • Incongruence, social isolation, and confusion about heterosexual dating • Self-questioning and exploration with strong bonds with other females • Identification as lesbian • Choice of lifestyle -- woman as long-term mate or not

Definition of Persons with Disabilities • One who is usually considered to be different from a normal person -- physically, physiologically, neurologically, or psychologically -- because of accident, disease, birth defect, or developmental problem (Herr & Cramer, 1996)

Another Definition • A person who has physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990)

Americans with Disabilities Act • Employers can only consider essential job functions when hiring or promoting. • Employers must make reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

Career Development Issues of Persons with Disabilities (Zunker, 1998) • • • Adjusting to disability Confronting attitudinal barriers Lack of role models Developing social/interpersonal skills Developing a positive self-concept Developing skills for independent living

Competencies for Working with Persons with Disabilities • Interpret and advise about legislation, policy, guidelines, and rights • Use diagnostic and informal assessment • Assess functional limitations and adapt methods of occupational exploration • Apply theory to assist with analysis of selfconcept or developmental tasks deficits

Competencies for Working with Persons with Disabilities, continued • Engage in effective individual and group counseling • Team with other specialists for career planning and placement • Work with employers to develop or restructure jobs • Plan and implement skill-building workshops or experiences

Components of Culturally Sensitive Career Interventions (Herr & Kramer) • Possession of knowledge and skills appropriate in any helping relationship • Recognition of personal attitudes and values • Knowledge of cultural context from which clients come • Ability to identify special needs

Components of Culturally Sensitive Career Interventions, continued • Ability to assist culturally different clients understand that they do have choices, some of which include consequences. • Skill to assist culturally different individuals to deal effectively with discrimination when it does occur • Skill to discern between client deficits that result from socioeconomic class and those from membership in a racial or ethnic group