Week 4

After reading the article on "Constructivist counseling for career indecision," I found Parson's way of classifying clients into those who are decided on a career and those who are undecided to be very interesting. As a counselor, I feel as though when you work with a client, you should help them to explore all options even if they are decided on a particular career. I really had to disagree with the findings that those who are undecided are less accomplished and less mature. I was undecided as a college freshman because I was torn between doing something I feel passionate about or choosing something that will guarantee me a large paycheck. I believe I accomplished many things as a high school student and even being accepted into college was a major accomplishment as well. In my situation, this study did not generalize to me. I loved how in time, counselors began focusing on what was the cause of the indecision. I think this is problem in a lot of our daily life events. Many times we see children acting out and we are quick to say "that is a bad child" or "where are the parents", but essentially there is something causing that child to act that way and it is necessary to find out what that cause is rather than start assuming and labeling the child.  I think life stories are a great way to help determine the cause of a client's indecision. But I also think this technique can be used in many other situations as well.

In regards to the chapter on ethics and legal guidelines, it actually made me very nervous to start practicing. I feel like as counselors it is easy for the client to accuse you of things which is why it is important to have a thorough understanding of the ethical code. Ultimately I believe that this program prepares us to enter the world of counseling and when we finish we should be competent enough to carry out these guidelines. I think because I have not made it to the end yet, I have these slight worries of being incompetent but by gaining more experience and learning more about the techniques those feelings will slowly diminish.