Essay Example on Gender and Family Conscious Career Counseling

Gender and Family Conscious Career Counseling Gender can have many effects on career counseling ranging from the influence it has on a person s career choices to the institutional discrimination that tends to results in differences for benefits salary and prestige between men and women in the workplace Along with gender family life plays a major role on strengths and limitations to the opportunity and priority an individual might have when it comes to career choices As counselors we need to realize and reflect on these gender based attitudes behaviors and beliefs while also becoming more conscious of family life ideas in order to be conscious of how we might influence client choices This application assignment will review the case examples of Maria and Richard from the text and consider the similarities and differences in each of their daily lives the role of gender bias expectation and discrimination along with the role of family life and how this relates to each case By reflecting on how as a counselor one could engage in a holistic approach with Maria and Richard in career counseling this assignment will also consider how to honor each individuals needs while being conscious of gender and family Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 Maria In case example 

1 Maria is a 24 year old single woman living with her parents and siblings She is seeking counseling in order to figure out her life goals while also learning how to be less critical of herself She graduated from a community college and currently works in a technical support job Maria describes her role in her family life and how she holds a lot of responsibility at home due to many circumstances Because of these concerns she is worried that going back to school to complete a 4 year degree would be too hard to manage with her family life and maintaining good grades She feels that she could have more time to focus on herself if she were to move out but does not see that as very possible since her mother relies on her a lot Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 From a holistic approach it would be important to consider Maria s cultural issues which could relate to her current exploration of careers There are some internalized gender roles in her family life for example the idea that a woman is responsible for taking care of the home and children There is also the low self efficacy where she expects the academics of a 4 year degree to be too hard for her Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 As her career counselor I would be empathetic and sensitive towards her gender related issues while also relating to the expectations she is facing as a woman from the Latino culture These concerns currently influence her decisions and from a personal perspective I feel that I could relate to her culture since I also come from a similar background However I would be aware of not to make assumptions and will need to be alert to any differences in order to fully understand and respect her culture and values In working with Maria I would further explore her self efficacy beliefs and use cognitive behavioral techniques to help her explore any distortions she may cognitively be having in relation to her academics Allowing Maria to become more aware of how competent she is can help her choose and modify the gender role she would want to live by specifically to herself Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 

Richard In case example 2 Richard is a 52 year old married man with no children who has been working as a forklift operator for 18 years He has been referred to counseling because of panic attacks which have lead him to checking into the emergency room for false alarm heart attacks He does not have a well defined reason to counseling but has been feeling as though his life has no meaning Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 In counseling Richard the first step would be to helping him deal with his panic attacks From a cognitive behavioral approach techniques can be used to work with him from a holistic approach By understanding why he has been getting panic attacks and if they relate to his sense of meaningless the physical reaction of panic might be a sign of some emotions which have been suppressed for a while He might have the sense of his life having no meaning because of not enjoying his job his age and lack of other options for work and or feeling trapped Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 There could also be some suggestion toward gender roles where he feels that he is the breadwinner of the family and must persist even if he is not interested By assessing Richard s positive strengths he is reliable steady intelligent supported and stable Through career counseling we could explore his skills and assets in order to find alternative career choices There can be many options to him at this stage of his life along with his expertise that could open up doors of possibilities for his future endeavors Capuzzi Stauffer 2012 References Capuzzi D Stauffer M D 2012 Career counseling Foundations perspectives and applications 2nd ed Boston MA Pearson Education