Applying Theory

Applying Theory to Specific Settings and Populations

Student Name Here

Walden University

Provide a brief introduction to your paper here. The title serves as your introductory heading, so there is no need for a heading titled “Introduction.” Here you will briefly discuss the purpose of the paper. Start first by writing a sentence or two on the topic in general; that is, the role of theory in career counseling and development. Then, follow up with a statement of the specific purpose or argument of this particular assignment (i.e., the application of career theory to a specific setting and population you hope to work with in the future). When describing your purpose, be sure to explicitly state the two career theories you will review, as well as the setting and population to which you will apply the theories. Remember, you need a minimum of three sentences to make a paragraph. At the end of your introduction, include a sentence outlining which topics will be discussed and in which order.

Theories of Career Counseling and Development

This section of your paper should consist of a minimum of three paragraphs, with at least one scholarly citation to support your points in each paragraph. Consider the career theories presented in the Week 2 learning resources. Begin the first paragraph of this section with an overview discussing the role of theory in career counseling and development. This may include ideas such as the meaning of work in people’s lives, or how career theories generally help counselors develop interventions and understand the career decision-making process.

In the second paragraph, identify one career theory you think would be useful to a counselor working in your desired setting with your desired population, and describe the primary aspects of the theory. Be sure to discuss the theory’s major concepts, including its view on factors influencing the career decision-making process and the major tasks and/or interventions that would be included as part of the career counseling process. This should be a broad overview of the theory, providing just enough information for the reader to adequately understand the theory’s view on career choice.

In the third paragraph for this section, identify a second career theory for use in your population and setting. Again, discuss this theory’s major concepts, its view on factors influencing the career decision-making process, and the major tasks and/or interventions that would be included as part of the career counseling process. Remember, this should be a broad overview of the theory, but descriptive enough to gain a clear picture of the theory’s view on the career decision-making process.

Application of Career Theory to a Desired Setting and Population

This section should be a minimum of two paragraphs, focusing on how you would use each theory as a counselor in the future. For example, as an elementary school counselor, you might use Super’s life-span, life-space theory to identify career development tasks appropriate for individuals in the Growth stage of career development. In a clinical mental health setting, you might use Holland’s theory to help individuals learn more about how their personal interests correspond to certain careers. When developing these paragraphs, be sure to specifically identify the types of information and activities you would focus on, and how they might be beneficial to your clients or students. Additionally, also be sure to include some discussion on how the theory has been applied to your population or similar populations and settings in the past. Remember to tie in at least one scholarly citation to support your points in each paragraph.

Conclusion

Your conclusion section should recap the major points you have made in your paper. However, perhaps more importantly, you should interpret what you have written and what the bigger picture is. This includes explaining the strengths of these two theories as they relate to your setting and client population, as well as describing the weaknesses you would have to address and how you would address them. Remember, your paper should be 2 to 3 pages, not counting your title page and reference page.

Always include references on a separate page. APA is very specific about punctuation and how elements of the reference are presented. Every citation should have a reference and vice versa. Use the APA manual to verify your format. Below you will find many examples for you to follow. A formal paper for Walden will require you to use all relevant resources provided in the classroom, and also expect one or more scholarly resources from peer reviewed journals from the Walden library.

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References

(Please note that the following references are intended as examples only.)

Smith, G., & Johnson, N. (2008). Career counseling: Why we need it and can’t live without it. Career Counseling for Everyone, 25(7), 14-31. doi:10.8220/CTCE.52.1.23-91

Anderson, E. (2007). The best career activities ever. The Journal of Ultimate Career Counseling, 19, 4319-4392. Retrieved from http://www.ultimatecareer.org

John, G., & Locke, D. (1973). Career development at any age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Fairy Tale Publishing.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2007). How to cite a video: The city is always Baltimore [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Name of program [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com