Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Career Counseling -- Systems Theory
The Case of Alex: Applying Systems Theory
The work and personal life challenges that Alex is facing can be explained through various lenses; however, in this particular case, systems theory as applied in the multicultural environment context will be most useful to develop possible interventions that will help Alex re-establish his career in a new social environment (North Carolina).
Systems theory, as defined in Arthur and McMahon's (2005) study, is a "theoretical foundation that accounts for systems of influence on people's career development, including individual, social, and environmental/societal contexts" (p. 208). An important insight into this theoretical framework is that it accounts for both the whole system and the sum of its parts -- that is, its approach is both general and specific or macro and micro in perspectives. Analysis is done two-way: an event is explained through its "parts" or components, and eventually, a similar analysis will be done on the event itself....
Integrating findings from both analyses, the counselor will then have a thorough understanding of the individual's case, as most, if not all, critical components of his/her life are accounted for and analyzed in the context of career counseling.
Systems theory's benefits are most applicable to multicultural career counseling. 'Multicultural' takes into account not only ethnic differences, but all kinds of cultural differences emergent in societies. Multiculturalism can be as literal as different ethnic groups interacting or functioning in one public venue, or it can be in the form of work cultures created among different teams in an organization. A range of these kinds of cultures can be considered multicultural, and warrants the same kind of analysis conducted in career counseling in the context of systems theory.
Applying these learnings about systems theory in Alex's case, career counseling could also be divided into different phases, from the general-to-specific approach. The counselor could help Alex make…
Reference
Arthur, N. And M. McMahon. (2005). "Multicultural career counseling: theoretical applications of the systems theory framework." The Career Development Quarterly.
No matter how intelligent a person is and how successful he can be, there are many reasons for him to choose a career not really worthy of his talents. This can be due to the conception that some races do not succeed in a certain field. Similarly some women might want to become a space technician but not really take it up believing that women are not welcomed there
From the list of personal dimensions of development produced by the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (Arredondo et al., 1996), gender is the dimension most neglected or ignored, in spite of the fact that gender intersects with all other dimensions across cultures (see Hansen, Gama, & Harkins, 2002). Whether internal or external, one major weakness is the need to motivate more counselor educators to value career counseling and to
Sixth, I look at Alex's vocational personality. I do this by looking at her stories through with Holland's RIASEC hexagon. Using this tool I see that she most resembles the Enterprising type (Holland's Theory of Career Choice and You, 2009). She likes to be a leader, act with enthusiasm and enjoys being the center of attention. In Alex's case it appears that her choice of becoming an attorney and possibly getting
RT, in his mid-30s, has worked for the services sector in the past 7 years as a Business Development manager. He is currently out of work because the agency he used to work for 'folded up' when it was badly hit by the economic recession in 2008. He has tried setting up a small business right after his resignation, but he has not managed to improve his company's financial status
Career Counseling and Multicultural Students in School-to-Work Transition Good career counseling always takes place within a cultural context, which is true regardless of ethnicity. Current theoretical models may not be adequate to explain the career behavior of racial and ethnic minorities. Vocational assessment has to be culturally sensitive, and only culturally appropriate tools should be used in vocational assessment. The goal of career counseling is to help clients make career choices that
Career Counseling Workshop for a Hispanic Population PowerPoint Introduction Two-Day Career Counseling Workshop for All School District Hispanic Students! Location Aaronson Auditorium, 9:00 A.M. -- 3:00 P.M., January 5 and 6, 2015 Refreshments Bottled water, soft drinks and doughnuts will be available Workshop Goals Identify and assess your skills, interests, and abilities Identify potential career opportunities Establish career and education goals Workshop Agenda Monday, January 5, 2015 a.m. Welcome and orientation by Mr. Jackson, vice principal Overview and importance of career counseling and its goals