Career development.
aABSTRACT
This study aims to obtain an in-depth understanding of various issues that are involved in different cultures. Cultural competence is the ability of people to have a common experience through effective communication. The study will focus on a Caucasian male who spent most of his time in a correction facility. The career development or establishment will challenge the male because of racial discrimination and has no work experiences. He is likely to go through different challenges to obtain a decent job. Mental health is one of the basic requirements in the corporate world, but in this case, he is likely to suffer from depression due to his socioeconomic status and lack of access to decent housing. The study will also focus on the client’s assumptions and biases and even on the strategies to be used to reduce the prejudices and the speculation.
Introduction
Career development is how an individual masters the strengths and weaknesses based on career choices. It is a process that is meant to improve the professional path of an individual. Career development is aimed to focus on a positive relationship at work and improve professional ambitions and how personality and growth can be manifested. At spaces of work, it is evident that it contains people from different cultures, and people must understand how to correlate with persons from other worlds. Often individuals have different perceptions about people from different races and may find this a challenge. Assumptions and biases are based on how well different people understand cultural diversity.
Counselors play a key role in ensuring that different races and cultures feel safe and secure when carrying out their daily errands. They need to understand diversity issues from a multicultural perspective, giving them a greater opportunity to work with people from different worlds. Personal relationships are built from having the ability to understand others better.
Case study
Scott, a male, who has spent most of his entire time in jail. The time spent in prison prevented him from having a clear working record. The sentence messed up most of Scott’s life; in this case, he might have a hard time securing a job because he didn’t attend school; he only attended up to 10th grade. Also, he might not obtain competent skills that can enable him to secure a well-paying job, especially because he is from being convicted; nobody wants to work with a convict. Although he was in a correctional facility, assumptions might crop up that he might not have changed.
- Career development.
Diversity often consists of non-visible and visible factors that may affect a person directly or indirectly. Different cultures are meant to relate to others in a better manner. However, some issues are key challenges to development, such as cultural background, religion, socioeconomic status, education, race, or geographical affiliations. In this case, Scott is 31 years old with no work history, which means that he is not likely to get a well-paying job from any company. He left school at a very early stage and did not acquire desirable skills to land him a good job. In the modern world, education is a primary source of employment. Being in prison at such a young age could have messed up with his mental well-being. He did not get the opportunity to be a youth since his youthful days were spent in prison.
Depression may begin to affect him because he has no social life, and at his age, such an achievement might be hard to get. The consequence of being associated with a crime is a long-life effect. It is challenging to obtain employment and housing, which means that he might end up being homeless. Also, he likely to be suspected by the police for any crimes committed around him. The criminal justice of the United States convicts more people of color compared to the inhabitants of States. Although the selling and usage of drugs appear to be of the same rate as the whites, the people of color will have a higher rate of being suspected than whites. Discrimination is also evident because it is not likely to get the capital to maintain and sustain himself. Also, people of color (males) are likely to experience longer imprisonment than white males.
Biases and assumptions
Non-whites are often associated with violence and drugs; for example, people of color are often stopped and searched, stopped, questioned, and probably arrested for any drug or criminal suspicions even where there is less evidence. A counselor is likely to assume that there will be a language barrier because the client is not from the same geographical location. Practicing counselors or therapists must understand that their beliefs and values can affect a client’s ability to respond effectively. For example, it is normal to assume that Scott is a criminal because he is from prison, but on the other hand, it is vital to consider that he might have changed from the previous crime. Personal values might appear to hinder during counseling sessions and, therefore, important to ensure that a therapist remains positive throughout the session.
Caucasians might have different views and perspectives. For Scott’s case, he might have experienced severe hardships during his prison times and likely to reason from a negative outlook, especially if he thinks he did not deserve the charge. Such kind of issues become a challenge for the proper career development of the client. It is important therapists develop programs and effective methods to reduce being biased and assuming things. One has to be more open-minded and respect and understand multiculturalism and the issues around it. People’s views and ideas rely heavily on their cultural, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Understanding these perspectives gives a counselor an easy time during the session.
Self-Assessment
From the first interaction with Scott, he looked deep in thoughts. He had a difficult time communicating, and therefore, a language barrier could hinder the effective implementation of counseling sessions. Lack of cultural awareness is a common barrier that is likely to show up when handling cross-cultural ethnic groups. It is, therefore, important to obtain adequate knowledge when dealing with such clients. For example, it is vital to understand the client’s past experiences, and in this manner, one can maintain a good rapport between the client and the counselor. To avoid misdiagnosis, miscommunications, and misinterpretations, a counselor needs to effectively communicate with people of different affiliations. Also, addressing issues based on the client’s problem is important to ensure that one does not deviate from the original purpose. Another strategy is knowing the right questions to ask so that one does not sound offensive; asking a client how he currently feels about being in prison allows them to continue expressing themselves, which is an effective procedure for healing.
Conclusion
Therapists need to maintain a high code of conduct for effective career development counseling to ensure effective and reliable sessions. American Psychological Association states that personal values, behaviors, attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs determine the success of the sessions and the client’s ability to obtain an effective career plan. Respect is the most important attribute in counseling since it is a field where different views and ideas are outlaid. Counselors have to discriminate against clients based on their gender, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, language preference, and socioeconomic status. Ethical conducts must be maintained to ensure that the sessions are most productive.
References