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career_counseling_intake_form_6.doc

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· Client Casework & Portfolio (80%)

Identify an acquaintance willing to meet with you to discuss his or her career. With the understanding that you are not (yet) a fully qualified professional, you will practice some of the skills you are learning with this “client.” You will meet on 4 occasions, writing an intake report after the first session and keeping progress notes on later sessions. At the end of your work together, you will write up a case summary: 5 pages in length double-spaced case analysis.

The career counseling intake form is below need to be complete

1st session due date 6/20 (Complete intake form)

2nd session due date 6/23/15 (Briefly summarize the second session. This should have included discussion of your client's Self-Directed Search and some occupational possibilities).

3rd session due date 6/30/15 (Briefly describe the session in which you began working on balance sheets.) Balance sheet form is below

4TH session due date 7/7/15 (Briefly describe your final counseling session.)

Case summary due date 7/13/15

Career Counseling Intake Form

Client Name: ______________________________ Age: _____ Gender: __________

Counselor: ______________________________ Date: ________________________

Brief Description/Behavioral Observations:

______________________________________________________________________________

Presenting Problem/Reason for Referral:

______________________________________________________________________________

Educational Background:

______________________________________________________________________________

Current Occupation & Employment:

______________________________________________________________________________

Career History (School, Work, Etc.):

______________________________________________________________________________

Relationship Status & History:

______________________________________________________________________________

Relevant Medical and/or Psychological Problems (if any):

______________________________________________________________________________

Relevant Legal Problems (if any):

______________________________________________________________________________

Family of Origin Occupations (may substitute career genogram):

______________________________________________________________________________

Career Aspirations/Occupational Daydreams:

______________________________________________________________________________

Results of Tests/Inventories:

______________________________________________________________________________

Case Formulation:

______________________________________________________________________________

Provisional Treatment Plan:

______________________________________________________________________________

Counselor Signature & Date: Supervisor:

_________________________ _______________________

Definitions of Key Concepts

Brief Description/Behavioral Observations: Include simple demographic facts such as marital status and ethnicity. State whether the individual looks his or her stated age, younger, or older. State whether s/he is of average build or unusual in some way (e.g., very thin, overweight, or muscular). Say something about grooming and manner of dressing (e.g., “neat but casual,” slovenly, businesslike, or unusually well dressed). Say something about his or her interpersonal style (e.g., friendly, matter-of-fact, challenging) and mood or affect (e.g., euthymic, depressed, nervous, blunted). The idea is for the reader to be able to imagine the person with whom you held the consultation.

Presenting Problem/Reason for Referral: Include a direct quote from the client. We want to know what led to the client’s coming in and what s/he hopes to get out of the counseling we provide. Note: This is not the counselor’s opinion of what the client needs.

Educational Background: Establish how far the individual went in school and the nature of any degrees or certificates obtained. Try to get a sense of how successful the client was in school and how s/he feels about education or other forms of training.

Current Occupation & Employment: Establish the client’s occupational identity as well as the nature of any current employment. Often these will be congruent, but when they are not, it is important to note both.

Career History: As the heading suggests, you want an outline of what the person has done for work over the course of his or her life. If the client has a resume, then this may be used to help frame this portion of the interview – but try to obtain additional information, since resumes are intended to present an “idealized” version of the person’s occupational history. Also: Important a vocational or civic/community activities may be included, especially if the client stresses them.

Relationship Status & History: It is not necessary for a career counselor to obtain a detailed record of the client’s romantic history or close friendships. However, some basic information ought to be obtained, such as whether the client is married, has children (of what ages?), and so forth. Sometimes these relationships impose constraints on occupational choice.

Relevant Medical and/or Psychological Problems: It is not necessary for a career counselor to take a complete medical or psychiatric history of every client. However, you should inquire briefly into this area in order to establish whether any medical, developmental, or emotional problems have interfered markedly with the client’s ability to perform in school or at work.

Relevant Legal Problems: It is not necessary to inquire into every problem a client may have had with the police or courts, but a brief inquiry may be appropriate. Some legal problems impose constraints on occupational choice (felony convictions being the obvious example), and a long history of involvement in criminal activities may indicate certain attitudes toward employment in conventional organizations.

Family of Origin Occupations: It is often important to know what a client’s parents do (or did) for a living as well as their attitudes toward work, education, and so on. Siblings, other family members, and even non-relatives with whom the client lived, attended school, or socialized also may be influential. Time permitting, a career genogram may be constructed and discussed.

Career Aspirations/Occupational Daydreams: Definitely include any realistic, short-term or middle-term ambitions (e.g., returning to school, opening a small business). Longer-term and “blue sky” wishes also may be relevant – as may the absence of aspirations or daydreams.

Test Results: If any structured tests or self-report inventories are completed as part of the intake (or if results of previous testing are available), then these should be mentioned here.

Case Formulation: This is the counselor’s professional opinion about the case. Describe the person, his or her problems (e.g., inner conflicts, functional limitations, environmental obstacles), and his or her assets (e.g., coping skills, intellectual resources, family support).

Provisional Treatment Plan: Provide some sense of the nature of the work ahead: any further assessment (e.g., testing), the type of counseling to be provided, and so forth.

Questions & Prompts

N.B. This is not a strict ‘script’ or interview schedule. The questions need not all be asked in the order given, or using the precise wording shown. Rather, this is a guide to the sorts of questions that ought to be asked, organized in one possible sequence. Counselors are adjured to follow the optimal flow of material.

Education

How far did you go in school?

Tell me a little about what grade school and high school were like for you.

Were there things you really enjoyed learning about or doing in school? Tell me about that…

Were there things you felt like you were good at? Tell me about that…

Were there things you really didn’t like or weren’t good at? Tell me about that…

[if relevant] What led to your leaving school [or college] before you graduated?

[if relevant] Tell me more about the trade school [technical school, etc.] you attended.

[if relevant] What did you major in at college? {Or: What are you majoring in…”}

[if relevant] Tell me a little about your graduate-level education.

What, if anything, would you do differently if you could go back and change something about your schooling?

Occupation

What is your occupation? That is, what is the name for the kind of work you do?

Please describe your occupation.

[if not already obvious] Are you currently employed?

[if so] Where? What do you do there?

[if not] When were you last employed? Where? And what were you doing there?

How relevant is your current [most recent] employment to what you think of as your occupation? To your training or education? {Probe into any discrepancies experienced by the client}

What are the advantages or positive things about your current job?

What are the disadvantages or negative things about your current job?

[for more mature workers] Are you seriously considering a career change? What would you like to have different in your next occupation?

Occupational History

{As noted above, a resume or C.V. can be very helpful here, but the counselor should use it as a basis for discussion – not as a substitute for conducting an interview. You do not need to derive a complete history of every job ever held by a mature adult, but you do want to know what your client has been doing for the last 10 years or so. It is also important to know a little about how they started out, how far they have progressed, and any major career changes or obstacles they have encountered. Only a few sample questions are shown here.}

How long have you been in the field? [you may name their current occupation]

What was your first job in the field?

On the whole, how successful would you say you’ve been in your work?

Developmental Work History

Describe your memories of your father’s work.

Describe your memories of your mother’s work.

How did your parents feel about their jobs?

What were your family’s views about work in general?

Do you have the same attitudes toward work that your parents did?

When you were a child, was there anyone whose job interested or impressed you? {Probe}

Describe the first job (not just a household chore) you remember. How did you feel about it?

Describe other early experiences of work that stand out in your memory.

When you were growing up, did anyone expect or want you to do a certain kind of work?

Aspirations/Daydreams

If our work together is successful, what would you want to change?

Realistically, what would you hope to accomplish with your career over the next year or so?

How about 10 years down the road?

If you really let yourself dream, what would you like to be doing for a living?

How important should your job be in your life?

What other things are also important to you? [family, hobbies, civic activities, relaxation]

What sort of balance would you like to have between work and these other things?

Always Include: Are there things we haven’t talked about that you think I ought to know now?

Some Considerations that Might Affect Career Choices

Sources: Janis & Mann, 1977

This portion is to be use when filling out the balance sheet questioner.

If not familiar with balance sheet questioner see Janis & Mann 1977

1. Utilitarian Considerations: Tangible Gain and Losses for Self

a. Income

b. Difficulty of the work

c. Interest level of the work

d. Freedom to select work tasks

e. Job security

f. Time available for personal interest(e.g., hobbies , sports)

g. Other (e.g., effect on marital/family life, social opportunities or restrictions, types of people with whom one will be in contact)

2. Utilitarian Consideration: Tangible Gains and Losses for Others

a. Income for family

b. Status for family

c. Time available for family

d. Kind of living environment for family(e.g., stimulating, dull, safe, unsafe)

e. Possibility of helping an organization or group (e.g., social political, religious)

f. Others (e.g., fringe benefits for family)

3. Self Approval or Self Disapproval

a. Self-esteem from contributions to society or good causes

b. Extent to which work tasks are ethically justifiable

c. Extent to which work will involve compromising oneself

d. Creativeness or originality of work

e. Extent to which job will involve a way of life that meets one’s ethical standards

f. Opportunity to fulfill long-range life goals

g. Other (e.g., extent to which work is “more than just a job)

4. Approval or Disapproval from Others (this includes prestige admirations, or respect as well as being criticized or excluded from a group)

a. Parents

b. College friends

c. Wife (or husband)

d. Community at large

e. Others (e.g., social, political, or religious group)

Balance Sheet

Behavioral Decision Being Considered________________________________ (occupation client choose)

Expected Pro (Positive Cons (Negative

Consequences Anticipations) Anticipations) ___

Tangible

Gains & Losses

For Self

Tangible

Gains & Losses

For Self

Self Approval or

Self Disapproval

___________________________________________________________________________

Social Approval or

Disapproval