CAREER-COUNSELING-THEORY-CASE-STUDY
Career Counseling Theory Case Study
For this assignment, you will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of career counseling theory by choosing a career counseling theory addressed in Units 1 or 2 and applying it to the case study provided below. Approach the case study from the perspective of your individual specialization (mental health counseling, school counseling, and so forth). You can embellish the case scenario as needed to help you complete the assignment.
Scenario
Taneka, a 17-year-old African-American female, is a high school junior. She is the eldest of three siblings living with her single-parent mother. Her mother has worked for the past 15 years at a manufacturing plant. Her father has not been a part of Taneka’s life.
As the eldest, Taneka has held major responsibilities throughout her life to support her working mother, such as caring for her younger siblings: Derrick, now age 14, and Kenya, age 12. These early duties reinforced development of her natural leadership skills. Taneka has been recognized from an early age for being mature, responsible, and dependable. As her siblings have grown, she has been able to have part-time jobs, most recently as a salesperson at a teen fashion store in the local mall. It was here that she first realized she had a knack for dealing with people, and they responded well to her—employers, co-workers, and customers alike. She was recently approached by her supervisor to consider participating in the company’s employee leadership training program.
This has caused Taneka to start thinking about post-secondary educational possibilities. Previously she had thought college was out of her reach, due to the limited financial resources of her family and no history of anyone in her family ever attending college. As such, she had not previously given much importance to her grades. Rather than participating in extracurricular school activities, she focused on working. She is on track for graduating with her class next year and has a current grade point average of 2.05.
Taneka is now questioning her previous assumption about college or other post-secondary educational possibilities, but she does not have a clear idea of what she would like to pursue as a career. Choosing a career and a post-secondary program to prepare for it, seeking financial support, and navigating the admissions procedure all remain mysteries to her.
In your paper, address the following:
- Argue for one relevant theory to be applied to the scenario. Note: Appropriate career counseling theories include, but are not limited to, Holland, Super, Krumboltz, Gottfredson, Social Cognitive Theory, and Person-Environment-Fit.
- Identify the theory you chose and provide a rationale as to why you have selected this career theory.
- Describe the key components of your chosen career counseling theoretical framework.
- Analyze any challenges you might have applying this theory to the case.
- Propose possible approaches for addressing the challenges you identified.
- Be sure to include research findings that support your use of this theory. Include a minimum of one supporting reference not provided in this course.
Your assignment should be 4–5 pages in length and include at least three references, including your text. Be sure to indicate your specialization in your paper. Review the Career Counseling Theory Case Study Scoring Guide to understand the grading expectations for this assignment.
READINGS
Use your Career Counseling text to complete the following:
- Read Chapter 3, “Career Counseling Models,” pages 77–120.
- Read Chapter 4, “Integrating Career and Personal Counseling,” pages 121–136.
- Read Appendix C, “Multicultural Career Counseling Checklist,” pages 416–418.
- Review Chapter 2 and Appendix B as necessary to provide information for this unit’s discussion activities.
Multimedia
Click The Career Diamond to view the interactive piece, featuring an interview with Patricia Andersen, EdD. This presentation provides an illustrated demonstration of the Career Diamond.
Optional Readings
Use the Capella University Library to read one of the following articles related to your specialization area:
- Walker, J. V., & Peterson, G. W. (2012). Career thoughts, indecision, and depression: Implications for mental health assessment in career counseling. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(4), 497–506.
- Anctil, T. M., Smith, C. K., Schenck, P., & Dahir, C. (2012). Professional school counselors’ career development practices and continuing education needs. Career Development Quarterly, 60(2), 109–121.
- Harrington, T., & Long, J. (2013). The history of interest inventories and career assessments in career counseling. Career Development Quarterly, 61(1), 83–92.
Career Counseling Theory Case Study Scoring Guide
Due Date: Unit 2
Percentage of Course Grade: 10%.
CRITERIA | NON-PERFORMANCE | BASIC | PROFICIENT | DISTINGUISHED |
---|---|---|---|---|
Describe the key components of a career counseling theory. 21% |
Does not identify the key components of a career counseling theory. | Identifies a career counseling theory but does not describe its key components. | Describes the key components of a career counseling theory. | Describes the key components of a career counseling theory with exceptional clarity, incorporating relevant information form the literature. |
Apply a career counseling theory to a client scenario. 21% |
Does not apply a career counseling theory to a client scenario. | Identifies a career counseling theory but does not specifically apply it to a client scenario. | Applies a career counseling theory to a client scenario. | Applies a career counseling theory to a client scenario, supporting the rationale with relevant literature. |
Analyze potential challenges and solutions to applying a career counseling theory to a client scenario. 21% |
Does not describe potential challenges and solutions to applying a career counseling theory to a client scenario. | Describes potential challenges or solutions to applying a career counseling theory to a client scenario. | Analyzes potential challenges and solutions to applying a career counseling theory to a client scenario. | Analyzes potential challenges and solutions to applying a career counseling theory to a client scenario, supporting the analysis with relevant literature. |
Analyze research findings related to the use of a chosen career counseling theory in a client scenario. 21% |
Does not describe research findings related to the use of a chosen career counseling theory in a client scenario. | Describes research findings related to the use of a chosen career counseling theory in a client scenario. | Analyzes research findings related to the use of a chosen career counseling theory in a client scenario. | Analyzes research findings related to the use of a chosen career counseling theory in a client scenario, providing both critical and supporting evidence. |
Communicate effectively through the consistent use of grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and APA format expected of a counseling professional. 16% |
Communicates in an ineffective and unprofessional manner through unclear, wordy, disorganized, and grammatically incorrect writing that incorporates incorrect APA style conventions. | Communicates in an inconsistent manner through language that lacks clarity, conciseness, organization, and proper grammar usage or that incorporates APA style conventions with errors that detract from the strength of the writing. | Communicates in an effective and professional manner using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions with few errors. | Communicates in an exemplary, effective, and professional manner using scholarly resources that support the analysis by connecting concepts through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions with no errors. |