Week 8 - Chapters 4 and 5

I really enjoyed the class activity where we got to explore a variety of occupational websites.  I have never heard of or explored any of these sites prior to reading about them in class, and am a bit disappointed that I didn’t know about them when I was looking for jobs throughout my career journey so far.  I have never seen a career counselor or received any assistance in career development, but I would hope these resources are exposed to all individuals who seek such assistance.  They are easy to navigate and provide a wealth of information, whether you are actively seeking employment or not.

Many of the ethical principles in Chapter 4 seem like common sense, but I took some time this week to think about all the different ways a counselor could violate these ethical codes.  It is a bit scary to think about assuming all that responsibility.  I think about my current situation as a classroom teacher and all the information that my students share with me each day.  Reading through these principles has given me a heightened awareness of how often I respond to information or situations and the manner in which I respond.  We hear often about people who have held onto one single comment from a teacher or parent that has haunted them for years.  This relates directly to Principle 1: Above All, Do No Harm.  It is our duty as people who work in social environments to protect our students and clients, which means we must take our actions and words seriously, even in the small things.  Principle 3: Respect Clients’ Rights to Choose Their Own Directions and Principle 6: Respect Counselors and Practitioners from Other Professions, remind us of the humility that comes with good counseling.  Being a counselor is not about getting your way or telling others what to do.  It is not about being the best counselor out there and outshining others within the field.  Counseling is about the clients!  It should be about empowering them to make the right decisions for themselves and about encouraging and supporting other counselors to ensure that more people can be helped.  It is a humble occupation where we should be able to freely and openly listen to our clients’ and honestly assess our own response to help meet their needs.

These principles, along with Principle 2: Be Competent and Principle 4: Honor your Responsibility, serve as a foundation for the article discussion.  Byars-Winston and Fouad conclude that self and cultural knowledge, awareness of culturally appropriate practices and interventions, and establishing a comfort for cultural differences are characteristics of culturally sensitive and appropriate counselors (page 197).  Again, being a well rounded, successful counselor, is grounded in humbly and honestly reflecting on self beliefs and having a willingness to adjust our practices as we learn more about the people we are serving.  This is a process that should take place daily within ourselves and continue throughout the duration of our careers and lives.    
  

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

            Byars-Winston, A. M., & Fouad, N. A. (2006). Metacognition and multicultural competence: Expanding the culturally appropriate career counseling model. Career Development Quarterly, 54(3), 187-201.