week 5

Part 1

Fatima

Fatima is a 20 year old, Arabic female who is currently attending her second year of her undergraduate program at a state college. She is currently seeking a career in the medical field, specifically dentistry. The only career development she's had so far besides the classes she's taking is her part-time job at a dentist office, checking people into their appointments and scheduling them when they leave. Even though it's not the exact position she'd like to work her way into, she likes having her foot in the door.

The reason Fatima has come to the counseling session is because she wants to ensure that she's making the right decision to go into the field because of family pressure. Her father does not like the fact she's going to college and spending all of her money and going into debt on courses he doesn't think she needs. He wants her to stay home and help her mother with housework and raising her younger siblings as this is what is important to him as well as in their culture traditionally. She is starting to wonder if maybe he is right and she should drop her schooling and pursuit of this life as she sees more and more debt racking up and little to show for it. Her family is already struggling for money as her father is supporting everyone in the house. She feels she should drop out of school so she can use her money from her part-time job to help the family and help her mother. She's come to counseling as a last resource for guidance and to find if the medical field would even be a good fit for her. 

 

James

James is 29 year old man of Irish decent. His highest level of education is high school with no college. Since high school he's been working as a carpenter in house remodels. This has been going well for him so far and he's been working his way up in the industry. The reason James came in for career counseling was because of an injury at work 6 months ago. James seriously hurt his back and may never be able to work in physical labor for the rest of his life. He was getting compensation for awhile because the injury happened on the job site but soon that will run out and his wife has been pushing him to look for a new line of work as she's a stay at home mom with their 2 year old daughter and infant son. 

 

Part 2: Matching Fictional Characters with Theory

 

Fatima

For Fatima, I would refer to Super's Theory for guidance. This is because it is one that places a high level of importance upon an individual's values and self-concept as it may be the most fitting to get an accurate result as Fatima is coming from a different cultural perspective than many career theories are designed for. So, to get started in counseling you would need to gather information about her convictions/value system as well as details about her own self-concept. Through gathering these results, it will help to begin to placing possible passions that Fatima holds and may help guide and offer direction to potential career goals. To help gain more understanding on careers that may fit with Fatima's passions and convictions, I would refer her to take some personality inventories such as Meyer Briggs or the Big Five Personality Test to help her gain a greater self-concept. After she takes these tests I would advise her to think on the results and come up with potential careers she feels could fit with the results and that we'd discuss her findings in the next session. 

 

James

For James, I feel that Holland's Theory would be the best fit to help him build from the ground up to find a new career path after his injury. For the initial assessment, James would of course need to prepare to take the RAISEC test to see where he'd fall according to Holland's Code. Taking this test is going to be a large portion of helping James to get a more accurate idea of the most fitting field's and or careers that may be worth his time pursuing. I would recommend that James do some research on jobs that would fit his Holland's Code either online or at the library. At this point, I would even suggest that he would use actual worksites relating to the findings as resources to find out more about the profession. Whether that would being going to the places in person or sending out emails to employees to get more information. The actual workplace/employees there would be a great resource for him. Then on top of this as an assignment, I would ask the client would be to go home and discuss his thoughts and findings with his wife to get her input as well. This discussion may then give him a good framework to move forward from in pursuing a new potential career. 

Part 1: Fictional Characters

 

Fabian

Fabian is a 43-year old Hispanic male. He is a U. S. Army retired Veteran of 22 years. When Fabian graduated from high school, he immediately enlisted in the Army. During his enlistment, he was a Tank Mechanic, and Artillery Operator, and finished off as an Army Recruiter. Fabian is seeking counseling because he is now retired for the Army and there are minimal option and interest in being a civilian Tank Mechanic. He no is ready to exercise his right to utilize his GI Bill for earning his degree.

Fabian is seeking counseling because he is uncertain as to what he wants to major in for his college degree. He realizes that he is older than the average student being that he served 22-years in the Army, and most collegiate students are in their 20s. He does not want to waste time and money taking classes only to find out he is losing interest. Money is not a big driver for him because he already has a pension plus some pro-rated disability payment. He is more interested in doing something he likes like helping people but is afraid that his age will play a role of discrimination in seeking employment once he is done with his degree.

 

Kaylee

Kaylee is a 17-year old Hispanic female. She is currently a senior in high school. Kaylee joined a vocational program at the beginning of her junior year in high school. Kaylee was certain that she wanted to be a Cosmetologist when she finished high school and the 2-year program would help her graduate high school as a fully licensed Cosmetologist. During her second year of the program, Kaylee started to have second thoughts as to what she wants to do. She has an interest in helping people and is thinking about nursing school. She has always been a creative person and really enjoy make-up and nails so that’s why she chose the Cosmetology Program.

She is seeking counseling because when she mentioned to her father she was thinking of going to college for nursing school after high school, using her cosmetology to help her pay some bills and go through the nursing program, he father made comments that put her right back to uncertainty. Her father started by saying he thought that was a great idea but advised her she really needed to think it through and understand what that career of nursing entailed. He pointed out the fact that she does not have a strong stomach and easily grouses out with certain things. He used examples of having to clean up after a patient if they soiled themselves, both adult and children, vomiting coming from the patient, and not to mention she is uneasy when she sees blood. Kaylee wants help to find her true calling.

 

Part two: Matching Fictional Characters with Theory

Fabian

For Fabian, I feel that Life-Span, Life-Space Theory of Careers would be best to help him out. This theory is also one of Super’s theories which emphasizes a high level of importance upon an individual’s values and self-concept. Since Fabian has already completed one career, the Life-Long, Life-Space Theory is appropriate because the theory recognizes that people change over their lifetime, and that life spaces help make a person who they are. Being that he is a parent, worker, and citizen, and those roles being part of the six main life spaces, a career selection can be reached with the aid of the theory and the Life Rainbow cycle.  

 

Kaylee

For Kaylee, I feel that Social Cognitive Theory would be the best fit to help her out. Initially I thought she would also be a good fit for Holland’s Theory because she is just starting off and figuring out what career she wants to select and pursue. But seeing that Kaylee’s decision and uncertainty is affected by many variables including her interests, abilities and values, I decided to select Social Cognitive Theory. Knowing that Kaylee is very interested in the creativeness she posses to use in the Cosmetology field but her interest in helping people nagging her to consider nursing, that fits in Social Cognitive Theory. Also, knowing her abilities and having doubt she can handle dealing with the dirty part of nursing plays a huge role.