As someone who works with people who will be or are
considered to be special needs in terms of their career, I believe it is a very
important topic. There is a stigma that persons with diagnoses like Autism are
very limited in the work that they can do. Usually we see people with visible
diagnoses in low paying jobs, but I believe we need to make more room for all
people in a variety of jobs. I would never encourage the kids that I work with to
either not get a job or to aim low. I want them to have a job that is just as
fulfilling as the one that I want for myself.
I
also think about the family members that I have that fall into the special
needs category. The LGBTQ community is also one that I am sensitive
to. With brothers that are gay, I know that they fear discrimination. The work
environment can be stressful for them. My brother never knows when or if it
will be OK for him to “Come out” at work. He has typically either waited a
while until he has created rapport or will tell people selectively based on whom
he thinks will be accepting of it. Feeling like you need to hide a part of your
life from coworkers could lead to a stressful and unsatisfactory job. Even
though my mother is only 56, I am also concerned about how she fits into the
aging population. She wants to change jobs, but it has been very difficult for
her. I worry that her age will hurt her chances. Knowing my mom, she certainly
is just as capable of hard work as people who are much younger than her.
I
appreciated the activity we did in class this week. We live in an increasingly
diverse world and we need to ensure that we are able to best meet the needs of
all clients. Doing the case study assignment helped us to see how we will
practically take ethnicity into account during a counseling session.
In
the latter part of the reading, I found the section on career coaching
interesting. I can see how even the language used for the title could draw
people in to use this type of service. A coach sounds much more personal than a
therapist. When I think of coaching, I think of someone who works along side of
me and who is like a cheerleader. This type of informal approach could be
appealing to people who are put off by typical therapy. That being said, the
lack of certification or license needed could be a little scary. Many people
looking into career coaching may naively receive help from someone who is not
qualified to give it, and thus, may waste their time and money. I think it
would be helpful if career coaches received a certification to ensure that they
have a wide knowledge base and that their clients can be comfortable in their
expertise.
Brown, D. (2012).
Career information, career
counseling, and career development
(10th
ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
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