Blog 9: Chp 6 & 11

Brown’s (2012) Chapter on Clients with Special Needs brought social injustice to the forefront of career counseling.  When discussing career counseling for individuals with disabilities a salient point was that the career options for these individuals should be as wide and vast as the “universe of jobs” (Brown, 2012).  Our society stigmatizes individuals with disabilities and usually associates a disability as limiting and negative; therefore, impacting these individuals in the form of developing the same attitudes toward themselves.   The workplace could be a hard world for someone with disabilities especially if co-workers, employers, and customers are not accepting; thus, career counselors need to address the transition between the worker and the work place (Brown, 2012).  Again, advocacy is another essential piece for practitioners to strive toward in order to provide the most effective career counseling to their clients.

Another major social injustice related to career development is when Brown (2012) says, “unemployed, economically deprived people develop low self-esteem and higher levels of depression” (pp. 126 via Waters & Moore, 2001).   This immediately stood out as being a huge deal because one can conceive of the viscous cycle this type of data establishes.  Indeed Bluestein (2005) is right:  people do begin the occupational race in vastly different places (i.e. disabled individuals, women, displaced workers, economically disadvantaged, delayed entrants) (Brown, 2012).  An individual who is at the poverty level faces a deprivation in resources that affect their struggle at getting a job because they may not have the appropriate resources (i.e. transportation, child care, etc.) (Brown, 2012).  Furthermore, how likely is it that these individuals will seek and receive career counseling?   Moreover, an individual who is depressed and exhibits low self-esteem will probably not interview very well and would be unpleasant at work; therefore, never searching for a job, searching for a job but not getting the job, or getting the job but unable to maintain the job, which will cause them to have lowered self-esteem and maintain a higher level of depression.  This is just one example of how the data Brown (2012) discussed can be conveyed as an astronomically negative issue which needs addressed.  Prilleltensky’s (1997) Empowerment Model focuses on equalizing power and disturbing access to resources on a more level playing field.  Could the empowerment model be applied in the United States and how would that look in our society?  What’s more Blustein (2005) proposed that career counselors need to value human diversity, ratify social justice, engage in political actions, and orient themselves to non-clients that are marginalized by the economic and educational system (Brown, 2012).  Emancipatory Communitarianism (Blustein, 2005) could be the new model for career development that would catalyst social justice.

Lastly, the link between education and career is not made salient enough to students.  The educational realm provides skills that are transferable to the world of work.  Specifically, mathematics, language, and literacy are at the forefront in every job (Brown, 2012).  When students do not gain these skills and leave the educational system their occupational struggle has become almost impossible to achieve.

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