Weekly Insight 9

            Last week’s activity was both useful and enlightening.  Being that I am not in the school counseling program, most of the activities learned in class are helpful in learning how to relate career counseling with clinical counseling.  It was also helpful to work with a partner, especially one in the school counseling program, and applying a case study to multicultural counseling. I now know the importance of learning more about the client first and applying their cultural beliefs and special needs in career decision making.

One classification system with special needs I found interesting is former military personnel. There are positions in the military that offer career advice to active military members. The military counselor provides the member information pertaining to job changes and what requirements must be met to obtain that position while in the military. This contradicts the reading by Brown stating “Men and women who are terminating their military service are typically offered transitional services including career counseling and a review of benefits available to them.” (Brown, 2012, p. 130) I, however, never experienced such a case.  One of my jobs in the military was in the retirement and separation office.  We made sure all paper work was in line and debriefed each of the three groups discussed in the reading, but never on anything to do with neither future career nor benefits being offered after retirement or separation.

Another classification system, not discussed in the reading, but is a hot topic in the news is LGBT former military personnel.  While the laws that “gays” are allowed to serve in the military was recently passed, there are thousands of former members unable to obtain employment because of their type of discharge. For example, Burks (2011) reports that over 19,000 servicemembers (active-duty enlisted or officer members of the military service, including the National Guard and Reserve) experienced sexual-orientation-based discharges from 1980 to 1993, and 13,000 more were discharged from 1993 to 2009 following initiation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Upon leaving the military, every member is given a code and type of discharge. When a gay person is discharged, the code given is “homosexuality” and type of discharge is Under Other Than Honorable (UOTH).  Employers are apprehensive in hiring a former military member with a UOTH discharge. This may contribute to the unemployment rate for veterans being greater than nonveterans. Brown (2012) reports that in 2008, the veteran unemployment rate was at 4.6 percent, but as of 2009 increased to 11.6 percent, while the nonveteran unemployment rate stayed at 5.6 percent.  Career counselors need training to work with this population, appeal their discharge, and help these veterans obtain employment.

 

Brown, D. (2012). Clients with Special Needs. Career Information, Career Counseling, and            

            Career Development (10th ed., pp. 117-141). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.    

 

Burks, D. J. (2011). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Victimization in the Military: An Unintended

            Consequence of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”? American Psychologist, 66(7), 604-613. doi:

            10.1037/a0024609