Career Counseling with Minority Groups

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Career Counseling with Minority Groups
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Culture and Values

• Culture consists of a set of attitudes, values,
  beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of
  people
• Every culture has its own unique value system
• Influences of cultural values
• Human nature
• Person-nature relationship
• Time orientation
• Activity
• Self control
• Social relationships

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Culture and Values

• Work Values
• Hoftede (1984) work value differences
• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism/Collectivism
• Masculinity

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Culture and Work Values

• Brown et. al (2002) Addressing values in the
  workplace with minority clients
• Learn work place values
• Identify value clashes or conflicts
• Develop a bi-cultural identity
• Become workplace advocates

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African Americans

• Demographics
• Jacksons 4 stages of identity development
• 1. Passive acceptance
• 2. Active resistance
• 3. Redirection
• 4. Internalization
• Career Counseling Strategies
• 1. Develop self concept
• 2. Learning to be more internally directed
• 3. Learning about job opportunities
• 4. Clarifying motivational aspirations
• 5. Learning to cope with White society

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Asian Americans

• Demographics
• Concerns to Address in Counseling
• Career Counseling strategies behavioral
  techniques
• 1. Learning self assertion
• 2. Learning to understand organizational
  structure
• 3. Improving communication skills
• 4. Improving interpersonal skills
• 5. Learning to understand the work environment
• 6. Using parents as role models

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Hispanic Americans

• Demographics
• Fouad (1995) Career Intervention Strategies for
  Hispanics
• 1. Determine value system
• 2. Be flexible
• 3. Choose appropriate assessment instruments
• 4. Address school retention (when applicable)
• 5. Develop self efficacy
• 6. Provide a variety of occupational choices
• General Counseling Strategies
• 3 steps goal setting, parents, finances

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Native Americans

• Demographics
• Development
• 1. Tradition , 2. Transitional, 3. Marginal,
• 4 Assimilated, 5 Bi-cultural
• Martin (1995) Career Counseling Strategies
• 1. Gather tribal information
• 2. Establish communication style
• 3. Be flexible
• 4. Assess English ability
• 5. Increase knowledge
• 6. Include hands on learning interventions

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World Views

• Individuals perception and understanding of the
  world
• Aspects of world views
• Variance in world views
• Multicultural competent counselor

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Culturally Competent Counselors

• Possess the ability to recognize self values,
  assumptions, and biases
• Understand own level of identity development
  (Janet Helms White Racial Identity Model)
• Understand and use culturally sensitive
  counseling theories
• Understand the impact of sociopolitical forces on
  identity development and career development
• Are sensitive to worldview differences
• Use counseling strategies effective for ethnic
  minorities

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Multicultural Career Counseling

• Working with Immigrants
• Come from a variety of cultures
• Specific things to address when working with
  immigrants
• Legal Statuscan they actually work?
• Examine acculturation and assimilation
• Examine transferable work skills
• Examine language ability
• Examine level of education
• Suggestions for interviewing multicultural groups
  (pg 302)

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

• General Counseling Issues
• Stereotyping
• Homophobia
• Internalized homophobia
• Heterosexist assumptions
• Consequences of discrimination in the workplace
• Physical violence
• Hidden discrimination
• The lavender ceiling

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Sexual Minorities Assessing Identity

• Cass (1979) model of sexual identity development
• Stage 1. Identity Confusion- not knowing or
  understanding much about his or her own sexual
  minority orientation
• Stage 2. Identity Comparison- the individual
  acknowledges the possibility of being attracted
  to the same sex
• Stage 3. Identity Tolerance- the individual
  tolerates rather than accepts and identification
  of an individual whose sexual orientation is
  different

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Sexual Minorities

• Stage 4. Identity Acceptance- this stage is
  characterized by continued contacts with other
  l/g/b persons to validate a new identity and a
  new way of life
• Stage 5. Identity Pride- the individual takes
  pride in disclosing an identity as l/g/b
• Stage 6. Identity Synthesis- when one accepts his
  or her sexuality

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Views of Homosexuality. What is the influence on
career development?

• Asian Americans
• More accepted in the majority culture than in
  Asian culture
• Yin-Yang emphasis Gender role emphasis
  Tradition
• Increased levels of intra-cultural discrimination
• African Americans
• Less accepting of LGBT persons than majority
  culture
• Spirituality, multiple identities
• Increased levels of intra-cultural
  discrimination little support

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Views of Homosexuality. What is the influence on
career development?

• Hispanic
• Not as accepted as in the majority culture
• Fear rejection from the community
• Little tolerance for Homosexuality
• Native American
• More accepting than other ethnic minority groups
• Two-Spirited
• Gender roles are not as rigid

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Gelberg Chojnacki (1996)

• 1. Pre-counseling preparation
• 2. Establish an affirmative trusting relationship
• 3. Assess client identity stage and related
  issues
• 4. Identity variables that may limit career
  choice
• 5. Complete a tailored assessment
• 6. Complete job search strategies while being
  conscious of the clients sexual orientation and
  stage of identity development

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Elliott (1993)

• Forbidden career for LGB persons
• Military
• Food service
• Teaching or childcare
• Doctors
• APA guidelines for working with sexual minorities
• 1. Be aware of own issues
• 2. Be comfortable w/ sexual minorities
• 3. Know when to transfer

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Elliott (1993)

• How to work in the LGB community
• Market yourself as an LGB career counselor
• Word of mouth
• Display paraphernalia that is LGB sensitive
• Rainbow
• Books and magazines
• Host workshops in the LGB community on career
  development etc.