Running head: Marginalized Group Career Counseling Paper
Marginalized Group Career Counseling Paper
Phillip Parks
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
CNL 525
Dr. Kendra Stewart
August 30th, 2023
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Introduction
To make a living in this world, a person must be able to provide for themselves. Guidance
plays a massive role in helping someone find the right path that will work best for them to make
a living for themselves. Searching for a lifelong career can be challenging and very frustrating at
times (Hennes, 2006). “Career Counseling’s main purpose is to launch a client into exploring
their career interests through interest assessments, talking with lots of people, helping other
people with whatever tasks they face at the moment, learning about future occupational trends,
applying to jobs that have openings, and interviewing people who are happy with their job”
(Krumboltz, 2015). This paper will discuss the importance of career counseling when working
with people with disabilities.
Population
People who have disabilities can often be overlooked and described as people with very
little education and poor physical and mental health. Disabilities come in all different versions
and kinds and affect many people differently. A disability is described or recognized as any
condition in a person's body or mind (CDC, 2020). It can make it extremely difficult for people
to navigate the world and become successful. Career counseling can be beneficial in empowering
the client who has a disability in helping them reach their full potential and find their
independence. People with a disability often lack a genuine opportunity, hindering their career
growth. Counseling this population can cause change and inspire hope in those struggling with
finding their career with their disability.
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Statistics on Group
In the United States, roughly 40.7 million people live with a disability, making up about
12.8 percent. In 2016, Utah had the lowest population with a disability, about four million
people. West Virginia was the leading state, with about eight million people with a disability. In
2021, roughly 19.1 percent of people who had a disability were employed in the United States,
which was an increase from the following year, at 17.9 percent. People who have a disability are
three times as likely to be unemployed versus those who are not. “In 2016, it was estimated that
35.9 % of those with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 are employed while those without
a disability was 76.6%” (Kraus et al., 2018).
People with disabilities must fight harder to be employed but are often not paid the wages
they deserve. In 2016, the average median salary for individuals 16 and older was 22,047 dollars
in the United States. There was a 10,000-dollar disparity between people with a disability and
people without. Even though people with disabilities struggle to find a career path, only about 21
percent seek help for career counseling, which is significantly low concerning counseling (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2012).
Career Counseling Theory
The Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) was created to help demonstrate the difference
and the importance of an individual and their work environment ( Brown & Lent, 2021). TWA
was developed to provide data for a system to have research in psychology to be used. Work-life
adjustments are emphasized to help develop new work behaviors. Addressing those work
behaviors such as personality characteristics and attitudes (Brown & Lent, 2021). Providing a
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positive environment is essential to ensuring that a person with a disability is productive and
successful.
Incorporating Career Counseling Theory
A career counselor's job is vital to helping clients with a disability find the correct
workplace that best suits them. Incorporating a theory like TWA into sessions allows a counselor
to help the client work on some traits they could be lacking. Providing them with the resources to
learn about themselves allows them to be in a working environment that makes them happy.
TWA will also give additional information to the counselor to use for their client, allowing them
to create a better treatment plan. The information allows for changes to be made if changes are
needed to improve the client's job chances.
Barriers
People who have a disability already suffer from many different barriers in their everyday
life. If a person has a physical disability, it hinders them from finding an excellent, successfulpaying job. A person who has a mental disability has to suffer through the burden of not being
able to be given a fair chance. Many people believe these people are not worth taking a chance
on and incapable of doing the job at hand. Discrimination can be brutal for many people looking
for jobs. Often, they have to face an educational barrier, not having the resources to overcome
these barriers that are holding them back. Stereotyping that people with a disability are weak and
cannot hold a steady paying job. Employers are not giving the opportunity as someone who does
not have a disability. “They may also face employer attitudes and discrimination, a lack of
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preparation for post-high school success, and systemic-level gaps in federal procedures and
policies that impede accessing effective career-related programs” (Brown & Lent, 2021).
Local Resources
In counseling, the counselor provides the best care for their client and uses the
surroundings that can be best used to help the client. Such as the community has resources the
counselor can use to help the client. Community-based agencies can help clients network and
further their skills with training and workshops. A resource like Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
services help individuals with disabilities to prepare to go into the workforce. The ultimate goal
is to prepare these individuals and help guide them with training to retain employment
(Vocational Rehabilitation, 2023).
Another resource that can benefit the client is the Division of Developmental Disabilities
(DDD). DDD is a service program part of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)
in the hope of providing services that meet the criteria. DDD allows people with disabilities to
live a life in which they have power and control over their lives. “Provides support and services
for eligible Arizonans and individuals diagnosed with one of the following developmental
disabilities: Autism; Cerebral palsy, Epilepsy, Cognitive / Intellectual Disability, or if they are
under the age of six and at risk of having a Developmental Disability” (Developmental
disabilities, 2023). The counselor uses VR or DDD to help clients utilize those programs and
opportunities to increase job skills and resumes. It can be highly beneficial to take advantage of
these resources to assist them with their job function skills and allow them to increase their
chances of finding employment.
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Recommendation and Plan
When working with a client with a disability, I want them to know that there is nothing
wrong with them and work on building confidence in them. I recommend that they believe in
themselves and apply to the process. I would connect them with the resources that are in their
community. Being in Arizona provides them with the information to resources like Vocational
Rehabilitation or the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Both resources will allow the client
to gain additional resources that they can use to grow, strengthen their weakness, and learn new
traits. Incorporating the Theory of Work Adjustment will also allow my clients to identify their
best situation. Putting the client in the best environment is essential in ensuring they are happy
with what they are doing and guiding the clients to use websites like Indeed or LinkedIn to find
jobs that interest them. I want the client to feel confident and allow them to express their feelings
about any barriers they face to help them overcome those problems. This plan would allow the
client to have a choice in the matter. I am giving them the information and tools to make the best
choice. As a counselor, all I want to do is set up my clients to be successful, and this plan can
strengthen their traits to reach their goals.
Spirituality
The therapeutic process can go many routes, and addressing religion and spirituality can
be huge. The counselor must remember the boundaries they are setting and respect the client's
point of view even if the counselor may disagree, encouraging spiritual emp, lowering the client,
and building a tremendous positive rapport with the client (Nickles, 2011). Career counseling
and spirituality can go hand in hand when counseling a client and allowing the counselor to
understand the client more clearly with their beliefs and values. Exploring spirituality from the
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counselor’s point of view allows them to obtain new information and understanding of the client.
Not every client will be spiritual and may not have that calling, but helping identify the client's
calling can help them learn more about themselves (Lemke, 2020). Even times, a job and religion
might conflict with one another. For example, a sacrifice must be made if a client is highly
religious, attends church every Sunday, and their job wants them to work. Clients should always
focus on their happiness and not compromise their religion and beliefs. Some religions believe
that no work should be done on Sundays, so having to work can cause a dilemma. A counselor
should always encourage clients to follow their hearts, and there is no wrong choice in making
the correct accommodation for themselves. A counselor should take into account when providing
resources for jobs the client’s religion and accommodate their needs.
Conclusion
Career counseling has a need and importance and can be overlooked. Especially in a
population with people who have a disability, not given a fair chance. People who are only
sometimes provided with the best resources to reach their full potential. The goal is to guide this
population to be successful and confident in the career field. People with disabilities need career
counseling to utilize the resources provided to them without their knowledge. The importance of
counseling people with disabilities is providing them with resources, improving their skills, and
implementing a healthy treatment plan. People with disabilities deserve a chance to be seen and
given a fair shot to reach their goals like everyone else. People with disabilities must be allowed
to be successful in this world.
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Reference
Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (2021). Career Development and Counseling (3rd ed.). Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020a). Disability and health overview.
Developmental disabilities. Developmental Disabilities | Arizona Department of Economic
Security. (2023)
Hennes, S. E., (2006). The complexities of career development.
Lemke, D. L. (2020). Vocation and Lifelong Spiritual Formation: A Christian Integrative
Perspective on Calling in Mid-career. Christian Education Journal, 17(2), 301–324.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0739891320923562
Kraus, L., Lauer, E., Coleman, R., and Houtenville, A. (2018). 2017 Disability Statistics Annual
Report. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire.
Krumboltz, J. D. (2015). The purpose of career counseling.
Nickles, T. (2011). The role of religion and spirituality in counseling.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Persons with a disability: Labor force characteristics
summary - 2021 A01 results. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Persons with a disability: Barriers to employment and
other labor-related issues news release. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Vocational rehabilitation. Vocational Rehabilitation | Arizona Department of Economic Security.
(2023).