Importance of Career Counseling - Assignment Example

?INTRODUCTION Career counseling or career guidance is nowadays regarded as a path to confirm success. It is a coaching session that takes into consideration the personal aptitudes, choices and abilities of the individuals as well as the developing areas with more promising futures. In this way, it makes sure that the energy of a person is being put in the right and more profitable direction. Moreover, it also helps the individuals to overcome their personal limitations and reservations by providing them with psychological support as well as guidance for the right career approach. It also makes them aware of the expectations and challenges that they are likely to meet in a particular job environment and guide them how to tackle the difficult situations on their own. All this has made this field essential for the students and organizations. In this study, the researcher has observed that a positive application of career counseling is in the rehabilitation of the ex-felons. Ex-felons or ex-criminals are the people who are responsible for some murder, theft, fraud or such crimes in the past, and having completed their sentenced period they want to move in the right lawful directions. However, it is noted that, these ex-offenders face problems in re-entering the society, in finding jobs and even in getting settled somewhere easily. The society does not accept them, the employers do not trust them and people do not want to see them around (Patton, & McMahon, 2006). As a result they not only face psychological complications due to frustration and depression, but they are also forced to cope with the financial problems by themselves. To help such people, halfway houses are established that not only provide them with monitored shelter and support, but also therapy and guidance, including career counseling. These residences act as 24 hours treatment lodgings that keep a complete record about the deeds of each individual, and keep an eye on each of them for further development. The researcher believes that the role of a career counselor in a halfway house is really challenging. He not only has to guide the persons for the right choice of the career, but he will have to assist them in achieving trust of their employers and in maintaining righteous behavior. Therefore the researcher is going to plan a counseling course for the ex-felons at a halfway house. OBJECTIVES The objective of this project is to map out such a course to career counsel the ex-felons at halfway houses that: 1. Is practical and applicable 2. Can ensure that the ex-law-breakers feel obliged to continue on their righteous path after the sentence and get settled for a normal life 3. Provides the individuals in question with sense of security and satisfaction in their working environments For this purpose the researcher has selected a halfway house that is accommodating 23 ex-cons (all males) whose crimes range from illegal merchandise and fraudulent to murder in anger. LITERATURE REVIEW Career counseling revolves around three basic variables: Work, Worker and Working Environment (Chappell, Di, & Labour, 2000). The disturbance in any of these may cause imbalance in the whole work plan. Therefore the researcher has based his project around these three essential variables. The individual or worker is quite important as he proves to be an important factor in the failure of a particular working deal. According to Frank Parsons’ tripartite model (2008), the worker should know and understand his own self (his aptitude and potential), job requirement, and then he should select a particular career logically. Therefore, the researcher has made it his first priority to counsel the persons about their wants in accordance to their needs. These needs do not include only the basic needs of food, shelter and security, rather he has suggested his personal inclination too, so that to make work an attractive and interesting to do. The interaction between the worker and his working environment also triggers specific behaviors that lead to progress or destruction. According to Minnesota’s theory of work adjustment: “The explanation for behavior or behavioral outcomes lies not so much with the P or E variables but rather with the P-E combination” (Douglas, & William, 2005). This theory assumes that: 1. Most of P’s requirements are met through E 2. P’s capabilities enable him to meet the requirements of E 3. Much of the behavior of P to E is predicted by its meeting with these requirement These assumptions are more explicit through the model of working environment: The Expanded TWA predicted Model (Douglas, & William, 2005) Therefore the researcher believes that it would be beneficial if he keeps a track of the individual’s behavioral tendencies in their working environments. The halfway houses are staffed with various counselors in addition to regular personnel. A career counselor is also posted there, along with abuse, criminal and domestic counselors, to guide the individuals in the right choice of the job area as well as to provide them with psychological support. The career counseling in a halfway house can prove to be very challenging (Brown, & Pate, 1983). A counselor has to keep the record of the individuals’ fraudulent aspects as well as their potentials, and to keep a close watch over their actions. He also has to keep a track of the things that trigger the particular individuals for violence, theft, fraud or murder in their working environment. His duties also include in providing the moral support to make the persons feel encouraged and supported in tolerating the working place pressures and continuing the corrected behavior (Glasscote, Gudeman, & Elpers, 1971). The individuals are observed in their working places where they are judged in comparison to their felinity records. The counselor works in close collaboration with the employers of these individuals and keeps updated documentation about their behaviors and dealings. CAREER COUNSELING PLAN Keeping in view the population and its requirements, the researcher has made the following plan: 1. At first he will have to take the detailed record of each individual’s felinity record and look for the things that had triggered such behaviors. Having an ear to individual’s personal comments can also prove beneficial and can give the counselor deeper insight. 2. The next step will be to counsel the psychological needs of the individual’s and to satisfy their fears about the social acceptability. This can certainly prove challenging as it will also involve readying them to face the critical comments and scrutiny as well. 3. Finding a right job according to persons’ caliber, potential as well as aptitude can prove to be an extremely helpful in their recovery. The employer should be taken into confidence about the individual’s rehabilitated state and then they can be monitored in the working environment for any sign of degeneration or progress. For this purpose, the researcher has talked through the selected population and found out that: 1. The neighbors around the halfway house see them as some violent threat or danger. 2. Their employers do not trust them; rather there is always an atmosphere of negativity and discouragement about them. 3. Their financial needs are not met through the career opportunities that are allowed to them. 4. They want to live a good life away from the path of crimes but they cannot find acceptability from the society. CONCLUSION The researcher has concluded that career counseling for ex-felons residing in a rehabilitation house can prove to be very challenging as it does not involve mere talk and suggest process as in other situations. The position of these ex-criminals makes it quite difficult to leave them alone in the society without any social, moral and psychological support. The negative response from the society can force these people to return to the side of crimes. Therefore the researcher thinks that his counseling plan can prove really fruitful if applied properly. REFERENCES Brown, J. A., & Pate, R. H. (1983). Being a counselor: directions and challenges: psychology series. Michigan: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co. Chappell, D, Di, V, & Labour, I. (2000). Violence at work. Switzerland: Intl Labour Organisation. Douglas, S, & William, R. (2005). Career development and counseling: putting theory and research to work. USA: John Wiley and Sons. Glasscote, R. M., Gudeman, J. E., & Elpers, J. R. (1971). Halfway houses for the mentally ill: a study of programs and problems. Michigan: Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health. Patton, W, & McMahon, M. (2006). Career development and systems theory: connecting theory and practice. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Parsons, F. (2008). Choosing a vocation. New York: Brousson Press. Patton, W, & McMahon, M. (2006). Career development and systems theory: connecting theory and practice. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Read More