Career Development Plan
Use the following structure and content for the outline of the final project. This format will be used as the format for the Week 9 draft and Week 11 final paper.
Outline of Final Project€” Career Development Plan
Intake and Assessment Process (Center as Level1)
Introduction Subheading is done in italics, flush left (Level 3).
CONTENT:: What information would you want to obtain from the client in a brief intake interview or from a questionnaire? (If the client’s family is involved or influential in a client’s life and educational planning, then using a career genogram may be helpful (see p. 144 of the textbook regarding genograms).
Why is this information relevant or helpful?
Motivation for Counseling
CONTENT: What prompted the client to seek career counseling now? What are the presenting circumstances and problems? Are these problems new or do they represent a pattern of some kind?
Issues and Problem Focus
CONTENT: What are the key problems and needs which the client should address? If more than one exists, rank them from the most serious to the least serious and explain the rankings.
What mental health issues exist and may impact the client’s vocational situation? (Example might include AOD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues). How might they affect the counseling relationship? Will other professionals be involved?
What are the clients’ assets and strengths? What skills does the client possess, and what skills might he or she want to develop (see pp. 191€“193) How can you dig deeper into the assessment of skills and abilities?
What decisions does the client need to make? What models or interventions could be used to help him or her make these decisions? See the sections in the textbook that address decision-making processes and style e.g., the CIP and SCCT approaches on pp. 56€“59).
. Professional Relationship with Client
Establishing Relationship
How will you develop a build a good working alliance with the client? How can you establish rapport, encouragement, and support for the client? What skills will you use as a counselor to establish a solid working relationship with the client (see p. 193 for the 12 essential skills of career counselors)
Are multicultural issues relevant? If so, what might they be? (May want to reference specific objectives or activities in chapters 13€“1 6.)
Goal Setting and Implementation
What goals will you and the client set together? Will you use a contract? How many sessions do you think it will take to reach the goals? See reference to the Action Plan on p. 194.
Will you do any type of vocational assessment? This can be quantitative or qualitative. Which instruments or exercises will you use? How will you present the results to the client? (See Chapter 5 for resources.)
Career and Educational Information
Does the client need career information about:
€”Specific jobs, general occupational requirements, educational and training opportunities, employment prospects in their local or other region, or financial aid and resources for college or training?
If so, what Internet or school-based resources will you use with the client? (CIDS, Occupational Information Systems, etc.)
If relevant, what job search resources will you use with the client? (see p. 168 of the textbook)
Follow up Activities
What follow up activity will you do to monitor the client’s progress and achievement of stated goals? Be specific.
The Final Project Paper is to be 7-10 pages in length, excluding title page and references. Grades for the Final Project will be based on the quality of the information presented, the degree to which it reflects required information from above, and learning from Discussions and Applications in the course, as well as the quality of the writing and presentation. The Application Assignment and Final Paper Writing Rubric (in the Course Information area) will be used to evaluate the Final Project.
Case-Study- Career Development Plan
The Case of Alicia: Woman at a Crossroads

Alicia is a 40-year-old, white, Greek (mother), Irish-American (father), who is a former schoolteacher and left teaching high school English two years ago after being burned out by teaching high schoolers with raging hormones. For the past two years, she has been working as a consultant for a company that writes programs and curriculum for training managers and salespersons for utility companies. She works in a small cubicle and hates the deadlines and pressures to get out the product. She holds a B.A. in English (summa cum laude) with a minor in Journalism, and an M.S. (with distinction) in Education. She has been a member of several honor societies as an undergraduate and graduate student. She is married and is a mother of a son, Michael, age 11, and a daughter, Libby, age 7. The daughter has a mild mathematics learning disorder. Alicia’s husband, Bill, a white German-American, age 42, works as a physical therapist in a local hospital, affiliated with the University of Rochester. Bill has worked at the university for 10 years and is entitled to free part-time tuition benefits for himself and his wife. Alicia is the middle child of David, 69, and Melina, 67, with a brother Ray, age 43, and a sister, Donna, age 36. Her father David was an insurance representative for Liberty Mutual, and her mother, an elementary school teacher for two years, a homemaker, then a substitute teacher for several years and in her final year of full-time employment, an administrative assistant to the vice principal of an elementary school. Alicia’s brother Ray is an electrical engineer for Xerox Corporation and Donna is a school counselor for a suburban middle school. Ray is married with three children and Donna is divorced with no children.
Alicia indicated she had been thinking about getting professional help from a vocational counselor for over a year but felt the time was now right to make a change. When asked what options she considered, she said working as an editorial assistant for a publisher, technical writing, or a recreation planner for adults. Alicia is athletic and works out regularly. She played two varsity-level sports in high school, basketball, and tennis. She also coached the high school tennis team for several years while teaching to earn extra money. One of her fantasies was to be a sports writer covering professional tennis events, like the U.S. or the Women’s National Basketball Association. Alicia is also involved in her local Catholic church (she was raised as a Roman Catholic and her father converted from the Greek Orthodox faith when he married her mother.) Alicia describes herself as a dedicated, compassionate, and ambitious professional women, but she is also concerned about raising her children and not shipping them out to day care providers all the time.
Alicia’s situation is complicated by the fact that she suffers from a form of mild, low-grade depression, described by the DSM-IV as dysthymia. She has been in counseling twice over the past eight years, once six years ago to help cope with the suicide of a cousin with whom she was very close. She and her husband were also in couples counseling three years ago for 15 sessions, with his alcoholism and her anger management problems being the primary issues. She indicated this was helpful to her marriage, and that her husband supports her efforts to find a new career. She is currently taking 20 mg of fluoxetine (generic Prozac) and this generally keeps her moods stable, although she complains that she doesn’t get too excited or as jazzed when good things happen to her. In the past two weeks, she indicated she has been more anxious of late, waking up early and feeling a mild dread upon waking. She will be seeing her family doctor, Betty, (internist) in two weeks for help for her poor sleeping behavior.
Alicia has considered going back to school, and one of her friends, Judi, suggested she consider a career as a school psychologist. Alicia thinks going back to a school setting would be tough and she would not look forward to the bureaucracy inherent to education. Besides, she said, I believe that what school psychologists mostly do is test kids and put them into special education classes. Alicia’s hobbies include cooking, gardening, playing poker, and working out. She has also considered work as a dietician because she pays very close attention to her diet and that of her husband and children.

Intake and Assessment Process

I. Evaluate specific aspects of Alicia’s personal life. Determine the underlying reason(s) for Alice’s depression. For example, suicide of a close relative, marital problems, husband’s alcoholism, daughter’s learning disability, or dissatisfaction with current job. This is important because it can give you insight into why she is seeking a career change at this time and determine if this is the right time for her to handle more big changes in her life.

Motivation for Counseling

II. Why has Alicia sought counseling at this time? Paying attention to personal problems in Alicia’s life. Could these problems be on-going? In other words, would she still be unhappy even if she changed careers?

Issues and Problem Focus

III. Acknowledge Alicia’s clinical depression and anxiety. Will her mental health problems interfere with developing an effective career development plan for her?

Professional Relationship with Client
Establishing Relationship

IV. Look into Alicia’s hobbies and interests (e.g. Tennis, gardening, working out). What are her strengths (E.g. writing) and weaknesses (e.g. strict deadlines)?

V. Pay attention to Alicia’s individual needs. Are there multicultural issues- Greek Irish-American heritage? What’s the best way to approach someone like her? How can we work around her depression and give her the confidence she needs to make necessary changes in her life and find a career she’ll be happy with.

Goal Setting and Implementation

VI. What are Alicia’s goals? How will I as the counselor help to meet them?
1) Cope with Depression
2) Increase self esteem
3) Gain knowledge of skills/abilities/work desires
4) Gain strengths/ weaknesses

Career and Educational Information

VII. Does Alicia require special training or resources (e.g. childcare, couples counseling, internship opportunities in Journalism)

Helpful vocational assessments and Internet resources for Alicia may consist of:
€¢ Super’s Career Development Assessment and Counseling Model
€¢ Holland’s Theory and Career Assessment
€¢ www.TheCareerKey.org
Follow up Activities

€¢ Provide coordination of care with Medical provider if Alicia permits the conversation to occur.
€¢ Provide coaching based on Alicia’s needs
The Stauffer and Capuzzi (2006) textbook -goals, focus, and roles and responsibilities are as follows:
€¢ Focus: Focuses on action-oriented, solution-focused intervention for an existing employee within a specific job.
€¢ Goal: Actively engage in interaction with the client to identify skills, goals, and talents that will maximize potential.
€¢ Roles and responsibilities: Observe the client’s career situation, determine a plan of action, and assist the client in implementing the plan.
€¢ GROW Model,
€¢ Reflective Language Model
€¢ Wheel of Life Model. The GROW model is defined by the following key words €“ Goal, Reality check, Options & Will, Where, When, What, Who (and how). (Dembkowski& Eldridge, 2003).
€¢ Wheel of Life is all about creating a €˜wheel’ wherein segments relate to particular concerns. (Newnham-Kanas, Morrow & Irwin, 2010).
€¢ Mock interviews

Summary

The role of a career counselor is to interpret and evaluate the past actions which occurred in Alicia’s social and cultural context, which have led to her present consequences. Furthermore the role of a career counselor will be to assist Alicia to encounter the factors which will positively influence her to arrive at an appropriate career decision. As a result, she will at least be able to make an appropriate career choice in accordance to her potential and interests within her own limits.

Reference
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2006). Career counseling: Foundations, perspectives, and applications. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Dembkowski, S., & Eldridge, F. (2003). Beyond grow: A new coaching model. The International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching, 1(1), 1-4. Retrieved from
Newnham-Kanas, C., Morrow, M., & Irwin, J. D. (2010). Motivational coaching: A functional juxtaposition of three methods for health behaviourchange.International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 8(2), 27-48. Retrieved from http://business.brookes.ac.uk/research/areas/coachingandmentoring/
Niles, S. G., Goodman, J., & Pope, M. (2001). The career counseling casebook: A resource for students, practitioners, and counselor educators (pp. 231€“235). Broken Arrow, OK: National Career Development Association. Used by permission of The National Career Development Association.
Spokane, A. R., Meir, E. I., & Catalano, M. (2000). Person€“environment congruence and holland’s theory: A review and reconsideration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57(2), 137-187. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879100917718