Career Counseling Term Paper
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Person-in-Environment The person-in-environment theory concentrates on the situation one may find him or herself in over the course of one’s life. For example, various life stages may include preparing to graduate from high school, going into college, graduating from college, getting married, buying a home, having children, and so forth. These various situations impact the person in different ways. Also, the social context in which the person experiences these stages is also relevant. For example, if a person is entering college and is seeking employment in an area in which other people of the same age are not seeking higher education, there will be some conflicting priorities, needs and abilities that the person will encounter and have to cope with. Another term used to describe the person-in-environment theory is “ecological system” (Zunker, 2012, pg. 57). While this term is more commonly used when talking about flora and fauna in the wild, it is very applicable to career counseling as well. The career world is often congruent to that of the animal kingdom. There are hierarchies, competition for resources, and inevitably someone thrives and someone fails. By focusing on this corresponding model as an analogy to how one’s career may evolve over time and through various obstacles, a career counselor can help a person to focus on external issues and how to best handle them. This is contrary to the typical style of counseling which often involves looking introspectively at one’s own pathology, identifying and analyzing maladaptive thought patterns, and then challenging those thought patterns to create a more lucrative outcome for the person. While there are elements of this in career counseling, the person-in-environment theory takes the perspective of helping the person to navigate the jungle of the career world, defeat certain foes, and overcome large hurdles that are preventing the person from achieving the professional life he or she desires. Another corresponding model relating to person-in-environment theory was set form by Bronfenbrenner in 1979. “Bronfenbrenner suggested that there are four systems that make up an environment” (Zunker, 2012, pg. 57). Bronfenbrenner’s model resembles that of the ecological system, but allows for more fluidity in translating the model to the working relationship in career counseling. Bronfenbrenner’s first system is the microsystem, which, in career counseling, is representative of the person. The second system is the mesosystem, which pertains to the person’s immediate family members, close friends, schoolmates, etc. The third system is the exosystem of acquaintances, extended family members, neighbors, preferred media and more. Finally, the fourth system as proposed by Bronfenbrenner is the macrosystem, which includes bureaucratic systems the person is involved with such as political parties, school systems, recreational programs, work unions and more. According to Bronfenbrenner’s model, as we move outward through the systems, away from the person, we are able to exert less and less control and influence. However, this does not mean that the farthest system, the macrosystem, is unable to powerfully influence the individual. Therefore, in order to best help the individual, we must consider all of these systems, the amount of influence we have over certain entities, and how to most efficiently apply our energy towards improving one’s career while dealing with all of the influences at hand. When working with a client and focusing the therapeutic process with person-in-environment theory, there are crucial chunks of information to gather through the interview and assessment process. For instance, it will be important to know the client’s living situation, financial demands and responsibilities, time constraints and other microsystem factors. Pertaining to the mesosystem, we will need to ask questions pertinent to learning how the client makes his or her decisions. Does the client turn to family and friends for suggestions? Does the client prefer to go it alone and provide support to others? What is the client’s role in his or her community? Then we will need to better understand the client’s relationship with the outside world. If there are legal issues to work through, child custody matters, religious and cultural factors the client feels are important, or health problems and physical disabilities, these are all important pieces of information that will have to be factored in to the career counseling process. Finally, many people struggle with political issues, matters of unions and employment contracts, competition with other organizations and other such macrosystem matters. By thoroughly exploring each level of Bronfenbrenner’s model within the person-in-environment system, we can get a measure for all the factors influencing the client and work from there to best help find the right solution for the particular individual.

Biopsychosocial The biopsychosocial theory is the most comprehensive theory introduced in career counseling. Quite literally, this theory melds together the most important factors of biological predisposition and genetics, psychological stressors, strengths and mental health issues, and social influences of geographical location, cultural ideologies, and friends and family. Over the centuries of psychology’s evolution, researchers and notables have been debating whether or not nature or nurture is more powerful in determining the outcome of a person’s cognitive abilities, personality, and behavior. Biopsychosocial theory aims to end this debate by offering a logical compromise – that all factors we encounter in life play with and against each other to create the people we are in society. The biopsychosocial theory is illustrated wonderfully by Barlow and Durand as a working interaction of influences. Inevitably, one stimuli will be most prominent in sparking a crisis; it may be a car crash, a panic attack, an interaction with another person, a change in policy at work, or a political movement, just to name a few. Wherever the crisis begins, one stimuli – whether it be biological, psychological or social – will set off a response from another stimuli, either internally or externally. The cycle begins and only ends when we become aware of the interaction of these key influences, according to this model. Unlike working with person-in-environment theory, working with a client in career counseling and focusing work with the biopsychosocial model requires a detailed mental health history. Therefore, the interview process and assessment techniques will focus more on the client’s history of mental health and a determination of whether or not there are any mental health diagnoses that will need to be contended with in the counseling process. The best way to accomplish something is to fully understand all the elements at work. So whether a client has depression, anxiety, psychosis, dysthymia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or any other mental health condition is not to say that this disorder will limit the client from achieving his or her career goals. Rather, with the biopsychosocial model, a better understanding of the mental health, behavioral, and social patterns the client has become accustomed to will translate into a more successful working relationship and an inevitably more lucrative counseling experience for the client. Developmental The developmental theory of career counseling likens one’s career to a person’s journey throughout life. There are six stages of human life including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, late adulthood and death. In developmental theory, these same human life stages are applied to one’s career. This means that in one’s career, there is also a stage of infancy, which can be thought of as the beginning stages of employment, one’s first job, and one’s first experiences with earning a wage. The childhood stage of one’s career is the time in which one explores more avenues, determines whether or not what was experienced in the infancy stage was enjoyable or something that would best be avoided. The adolescence stage is when one’s career finally chooses a direction and one comitts to a position – whether intentionally or subconsciously. The adulthood phase of one’s career is the time in which one may feel a sense of stability, a comfort in knowing that one is doing his or her job well and that they are able to call themselves by the applicable title of their position. The late adulthood phase is represented in one’s career by burn-out, exhaustion, a desire for change, or perhaps feeling as though there is no more room for growth within that position. Finally, the death stage is equivalent to quitting ones job or retiring. Unlike the biological life cycle, most people go through multiple career life cycles. Some cycles may survive twenty years or more while others may not live past adolescence. One thing that is exceptionally useful in the assessment phase of career counseling and working with the developmental model is identifying patterns with a client. If it is usual for a client’s career to never develop past the adulthood stage, this can be indicative of someone who does not truly know what he or she enjoys or would be good at doing. If this is the case, strength finders, aptitude tests, and exploratory education can go a long way to help a client find his or her true path. On the other hand, if a client displays a pattern of choosing something – whether it be a career, a relationship, a particular brand of vehicle, etc. – and never deviating from that choice, this can be equally detrimental. This pattern is a sign of someone who may be afraid of taking risks, who is content with mediocrity and who is unlikely to try something radical in the hopes of finding a dream career. In order to determine the developmental cycle, stages, and patterns relevant to a given client, Zunker recommends a very specific and structured intake interview and assessment process (2012, pg. 84). The first stage is the intake interview in which the counselor is to determine the client’s individuality, barriers to career choices, affective concerns such as poor self-concept and self-awareness, level of occupational knowledge, and work experiences (Zunker, 2012, pg. 84). Next, the counselor performs career development assessment and counseling, otherwise known as C-DAC (Zunker, 2012, pg. 84). Career development assessment and counseling involves analyzing one’s life structure, work resilience, career development status, resources available and employed, abilities, interests, values, and occupational self-image and life themes (Niles, 2001). Together, these elements help to dissolve the image of the client and his or her career as it is now, and to piece together the image of what it should be in order to give the client happiness and success. Once this image is in place, the counselor uses narrative techniques to illuminate a pathway from the career that was to the career that could be. The counselor and client work together to set goals, develop an accurate self-image for the client, and project that healthy self-image into the world. Finally, the career counselor leaves the client with the tasks he or she has completed so far and what remains to be done to get to the desired career – highlighting the client’s ability to complete such tasks and instilling a sense of internal motivation to continue moving forward. The client and counselor may reunite for additional sessions throughout the process to provide valuable coaching and recharging of motivations. Career counseling is a complex process that can involve any number of perspectives, models and techniques. Only by exploring the various theories can we find which one would be most applicable to any given client’s situation.

References Abernathy, Cathy Ann. (2003). Career Development Theory. Jacksonville State University. http://taracat.tripod.com/careertheory1.html Brown, Duane and Associates. (2002). Career Choice and Development, 4th Ed. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass. Edwards, Jeffrey R., Caplan, Robert D., Harrison, R. Van. (1998). Person-Environment Fit Theory: Conceptual Foundations, Empirical Evidence, and Directions for Future Research.
Greguras, G. J. and Diefendorff, J. M. (2009). Different Fits Satisfy Different Needs: Linking Person-Environment Fit to Employee Commitment and Performance Using Self-Determination Theory. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), pg. 465-477.
Millard, Bill. (2004). Stage Developmental Model. Center for Life Calling & Leadership. http://clcl.indwes.edu/Display.asp?Page=StageDevelopment
Niles, Spencer G. (2001). Using Super's Career Development Assessment and Counseling (C-DAC) Model to Link Theory to Practice. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 1, pg. 131-139.
Steven, Jan Carrie. (2013). Holistic Health or the Biopsychosocial Model. Basic Counseling Skills. http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/holistic-health.html
Zunker, Vernon G. (2012). Career Counseling: A Holistic Approach, 8th Ed. Cengage Learning. International Edition.
Zunker, Vernon. (2008). Career, Work, and Mental Health: Integrating Career and Personal Counseling. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publishing.