Career Counseling Interventions: Practice with Diverse Clients

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 50 creative, innovative interventions that have been successfully applied help counselors to provide effective career development strategies with each population. Each chapter includes 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 assessments and interventions. The book also provides abundant resources for further study. In addition to its value to career counselors, the text will also be useful to personal counselors who often deal with their clients career issues during treatment.

Key Features: Provides in-depth exploration of underserved populations who have 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 50 creative yet practical career counseling techniques Presents case studies that provide clear examples of the application of relevant interventions "