"Life Themes" and reflection about project

I found the constructivist counseling approach a helpful perspective to aid in a point of crisis and career development. It lacks universalism to all classes of individuals, however, I think speaks to young adults in this current generation.

    The history of career counseling seems comparatively short to other forms of counseling and therapy focus areas (Savickas, 1995; Brown, 2012). This article describes career counseling beginning from a simple dichotomous view of a career crisis. This view of decided verses undecided still exist in some settings; however, it grew from a simple lack of exposure to opportunities for discovery to a unidimensional continuum. In this view, there exist varying levels of indecision. The next transition came when theorists and counselors started seeing career indecision as multidimensional.  These three approaches still see indecision as the problem; they focus on the reason someone is indecisive.

    This quote really hit home to me:

“Wavering [...] reflects movement toward meaning rather than toward a goal. Wavering hesitation brings into the present, from the past and the future, more fundamental motives to guide a life story that is at a point of transformation". (Savickas, 1995).

Most often clients come to a counselor during a point of crisis,  and this quote brings comfort with the idea that this point of wavering doesn’t need a negative connotation. Through focusing on the individual instead of focusing on the indecision, a story emerges which helps give context to career decisions. Being and ‘undecided student’ or individual holds a special place in the journey of identity that should not be rushed out of.  It should be cherished and developmental so when decision does come, it has great meaning and passion to the individual.

    While I find this approach conforming to me in my own journey and in my perspective as a college academic advisor; however, this approach does lack a bit of universality. One could argue that this approach is very United States-white-upper middle class centric. When an individual does not have basic needs, for example, those proposed out by Maslow, a ‘life theme’ maybe the last thing on an individuals mind.  Career Counseling in those instances must focus on the immediate needs of an income.  The counselor can then follow up with a client later to find a life theme, and a course of action for how to get there. 

Questions from last week;

    Are we still going to get to reflect in a group exercise on our Genograms in class?

    I never got an email invite to wikispaces. I had to set up an account first to then access the wiki spaces.  How is this different than using a google document? Can our group chose to use a google drive instead? I am an avid technology user and pick up technology very quickly so I am not complaining; however, I am curious why are we using wikispaces and blogger instead of using the group tools and discussion board of D2L?

Brown, D. (2012).  Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Savickas, M. L. (1995). Constructivist Counseling for Career Indecision. The Career Development Quarterly, 43(4), 363-373.