CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR DIVORCED LATINA MOTHERS ON
WELFARE LOOKING FOR AN OCCUPATION
A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of Master of Science in Counseling,
Career Counseling
By
Nadia de Santiago
May 2012
The graduate project of Nadia de Santiago is approved:
Shari Tarver-Behring, Ph.D.
Date
Luis Rubalcava, Ph.D.
Date
Gregory Jackson, Ed.D., NCCC, Chair
Date
California State University, Northridge
ii DEDICATION
First and foremost I want to thank my parents for all their support and for been there next
to me at all times good and bad ones. Also, I want to thank my parents for been my
motivators and strength. My dad who recently passed away has always been my
motivator to further my education. I am who I am thanks to his good example. My mom
has also been my strength and support throughout these years. My parents have been my
role models. I learned from them to have courage, patience, and never give up.
To my brothers and sister for their patience and support throughout my undergraduate
degree and now my master. I want to thank my brothers and sister for being proud of my
accomplishments. This has been quite a journey and they were always there cheering me
up.
Also, I want to dedicate my work to my boyfriend. He has been there all these time
through this process. He has been my emotional support.
Overall, I want to thank all of my family and close friends. Thank you for the support
and for believing in me.
iii ACKNOWLEDEMENTS
I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Jackson who was always there as a mentor,
professor and friend. He saw me grow from my interview going into the program and
now graduation. Dr. Jackson thanks for always believing in me and for your words of
knowledge and wisdom.
To my cohort and classmates as we went through many experiences and the whole
process together from beginning to end. In an effort not to forget anyone I will not
mention names but I want to thank everyone from my family, professors, mentors, and
friends. This is a special thanks to everyone who contributed to the completion of this
project.
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
Signature
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgments
iv
Abstract
vii
CHAPTER 1: The Problem
1
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Importance of the Problem
Identifying the Population
Characteristics of the Target Population
Consequences of the Problem
Limitations of this Project
Definition of Technical Terms
Summary
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review
11
General Introduction to the Literature Review
Summary of General Career Development (Donald Super)
Review of Literature
Problems and Challenges to Typical Career Development of Divorced
Latina Mothers
Career Development Needs the Program Will Affect
Programs in Existence
The Role of Career Counselors in this Program
Theoretical Approaches which meet the Career Development Issues of
the Focus Group
Specific Career Interventions to meet the needs of Divorced Mothers
Summary
CHAPTER 3: Justification of the Program
11
11
15
20
21
23
28
29
31
31
33
Logic of the Program
Connecting A Theoretical Approach to this Program
Required Facilities, Staffing, Resources and Material
Assessment Instruments
Forms/Handouts
Procedure
General Program Goals and Sessions
1
1
3
5
5
6
7
8
9
v 33
34
36
37
39
39
40
CHAPTER 4: The Program
42
Session 1: Intake and Interview
Session 2: Welcome and Career Exploration
Session 3: Self-Discovery
Session 4: Informational Interview
Session 5: Work you are Interested in Doing
Session 6: Skills
Session 7: Values
Session 8: Online Job Searching
CHAPTER 5: Program Evaluation
42
44
47
49
52
54
56
58
60
Summary of the Program Evaluation
60
References
68
Appendix A: “Interview Questions and Score Sheet”
Appendix B: “Intake” handout
Appendix C: “Occupations” handout
Appendix D: “Top 5 Occupations of Interest” handout
Appendix E: “Self-Discovery” handout
Appendix F: “What is an Informational Interview?”
Appendix G: “Informational Interview Questions” handout
Appendix H: “Work you are Interested in Doing” handout
Appendix I: “Skills Worksheet”
Appendix J: “Our Dream Company” handout
Appendix K: “What is a Value?” worksheet
Appendix L: “Career Websites” handout
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vi ABSTRACT
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR DIVORCED LATINA MOTHERS ON
WELFARE LOOKING FOR AN OCCUPATION
By
Nadia de Santiago Arroyo
Master of Science in Counseling,
Career Counseling
This program is designed to aid divorced Latina mothers on welfare. It is a career
exploration and self-discovery program that will prepare them for securing an occupation
or employment with benefits and legal protection by having a more effective
understanding of the workforce. This program will help divorced Latina mothers find a
match between their abilities, values, and interests and what they consider suitable
occupations. The career exploration and self-discovery program is seven weeks long and
will include the following: self-discovery, career assessments, career exploration and job
search preparation. These women will need to read and write English at a 7th grade level.
They may need to be referred to counseling for personal, violence, abuse and substance
abuse counseling program/s if needed. Ideally, it will lead them to find an occupation
that they will enjoy.
vii CHAPTER 1: The Problem
“I wasn’t going to be my mother or my grandma. All that self-sacrifice, all that
silent suffering. Hell, no. Not here, not me”. – Cisneros
Introduction
In the past the typical assumption about Latina mothers was that they were
married and took care of the house, children and husband, and maybe worked part-time.
Also, they were involved in the church and did not pursue further education. Today,
more and more Latina mothers are getting a divorce, and this is still a taboo subject.
These divorced Latina mothers with children apply for welfare assistance mainly due to
the following: lack of education, history of domestic violence, limited English fluency,
economic pressure, limited work experience and inadequate housing. Until recently
Latina mothers have spent a significant amount of time taking care of everyone except
themselves. When these mothers decide to get a divorce they face issues of acculturation,
lack of social support, rejection and disapproval from their church, culture, in-laws, and
likely their own family. All of the above are issues that affect their ability to find an
occupation with benefits, legal protection, and a venue for them to leave welfare.
The purpose of this program is to assist this population in career exploration and
self-discovery that will provide them with the knowledge and a perspective for securing
an occupation. The program will address a number of issues and needs for this
population.
Statement of the Problem
There is research on divorced women on welfare, but very little has been done on
divorced Latina mothers on welfare. Surveys indicate that Latin American countries
1 have low divorce rates compared to the United States and European countries (Greenstein
& Davis, 2006). The dependent variable here is the crude divorce rate or the number of
divorces per 1,000 population in a given year. The year of collection of these data ranges
from 1995 to 1998. The mean crude divorce rate is 1.72, with a standard deviation of
1.03. The scores were standardized to a mean of zero and ranged from -4.86 (Thailand)
to 6.19 (Norway). Mexico has a standard score rate of 0.43 compared to a rate of 4.34
from the United States. The reason for this phenomenon might be that it is not an
approved option for Latinas to divorce, as the majority of Latinos are Catholics. Thus
women in this society are often raised to be submissive, that lack self-esteem, selfefficacy and personal responsibility because they lack information, progressive role
models, and socially supported avenues to learn alternatives. In a male-dominated
culture these mothers have had little opportunity to develop in the world of work often
resulting in a lack of work experience. Greenstein and Davis (2006) state that women
who are independent from husband and participate in labor force are more likely to
divorce. Therefore, Latinas are less likely to divorce and have lower labor force
participation.
Without even knowing these mothers are making decisions that will change the
traditional model. And embrace a new life of independence and opportunity, as they are
tired of submissiveness, limited options, and domestic violence. Latinas are not the
exception. Unfortunately, these mothers lack career planning, exploration skills and
experiences that could allow them to make better decisions and learn about themselves,
their interests, values and skills. These Latinas face the uncertainty of the unknown and a
new experience that is likely frightening but offers them the freedom to make decisions
2 that will impact them and their children.
Importance of the Problem
The number of Mexican-origin women head of the household is growing more
rapidly than white women every year, from 1960-2000 (Wildsmith, 2004). In this case,
these are women that are without a husband, in charge of housing, food, and children.
Almost 65% of these women did not finish high school, leading to the possibility that a
lack of education is strongly associated with the increase of females in charge of the
household. As of 1995, minority women have a 72 percent chance of being head of
household.
The challenge which most of this population faces is finding work when dealing
with all of the personal and social stressors. Blank (2007) reports that these disconnected
women now make up 20 to 25 percent of all low-income single mothers. The majority of
this population’s experiences report serious barriers to work including: low education,
lack of work experience, health problems, history of domestic violence, and substance
abuse. Divorced mothers are disproportionately employed in low-quality jobs –
characterized by low pay, limited benefits, nonstandard hours and low rates of job
retention (Hill & Morris, 2008). These mothers who work in low paying jobs with no
benefits have to take their children to home-based childcare. Thus creating stressors and
affecting the parenting of 500,000 disconnected mothers. In a study, the well being of
these mothers were analyzed and it was discovered that 94.2% felt severe to moderate
distress (Hildebrandt & Kelber, 2005). These problems also impact more than 4 million
children in the care of these severely challenged mothers. These women on welfare are
stressed because they are unable to find jobs that are well paid so that they can support
3 their families on their own. An estimate of $2.8 billion are being spent in current
welfare programs, $250 for minimal job search assistance to $5,000 for extended
treatment programs, etc. The state requires that welfare program put 50 percent of these
“hard to employ” women to work but virtually no state now meet the 50 percent work
requirement.
This results in a population of, “as many as 2.2 million women who potentially
are either disconnected from both welfare and work or are long-term nonworkers on
welfare” (Blank, 2007, p. 12). Similarly, Marchevsky and Theoharis (2008) suggest that
those who left welfare have not found work, others are being forced into low-wage and
temporary jobs, and the former recipients continue to live in poverty without adequate
shelter, food, medical care, or social services, affecting their children and limiting their
options in both education and work success. The aim of welfare is to put these single
mothers to work and earn an income, not to train them and send them back to school.
This does not give them the opportunity to advance or to get an education.
According to, “federal poverty guidelines for 2009 a family of 4 earning $22 is at
100% of the poverty level” (Hildebrandt and Stevens, 2009, p. 5). In 2006, 38.7 million
people in the United States lived at or below the federal poverty level and among them
13.28 million children. Households headed by racial/ethnic minority single women had
the highest poverty rate with 39% in the United States. In addition, studies associate
consecutive years of unemployment, job loss, and welfare receipt with detrimental effects
on children’s health, behavior and well-being (Hill and Morris, 2008). Poverty is most
harmful for children when experienced early in life. Therefore, maternal employment is
particularly beneficial for low-income children. A reduction in these women going back
4 to welfare is the goal and for them to gain their independence. This population is in need
of a career development program with a more effective understanding of the world of
work, employment preparation, and other supports for them and their children.
Identifying the Population
The focus group of this program will be Latina adult females who have children
and receive assistance for needy families for welfare. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau (2010) individuals of Latino origin represent 16% of the total American
population. They define “Latino” to identify those who identify as persons of Cuban,
Mexican, South and Central American, Spanish culture or origin (2010). This includes
the Caribbean Islands for example: Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. The
2010 U.S. Census Bureau also states, that those who identify as Latino or Spanish may be
any race. For the purpose of this program and for the research involved, the term
“Latino” will represent any and all individuals who identify as “Latino”.
The program will sometimes put a greater emphasis on Mexicans. This includes
Mexican, and Mexican-American as most of the research and interviews took place in
states where the majority of Latino population is of Mexican descent. This is very
reflective specifically of California where the program was developed. The U.S. Latino
population is growing and the career development of this population is imperative.
Characteristics of the Target Population
Latinos compared to other groups have the lowest levels of education. Due to
limited access to education, networks, work experience, supportive and positive
environment they have very limited if any career development exposure. They often lack
self-efficacy and they lack the experience and role models to make career decisions.
5 They know about work, just not in the larger workforce. It’s very likely that these
Latina mothers know very little about their interests, skills, and values.
Latinos are members in a collective culture that values family and hard work in
which the role of women is the one of a stay home mother and requires women to be in
charge of the family, dependent of the husband, and have little say on how things should
be done. The main role of these mothers is to keep their family together. These women
face strong cultural values of submission and little independence. According to Villenas
and Moreno (2001), “Latina mother are both victims and victimizers, colonized and
colonizers; relentlessly reifying patriarchy – “tienes que ser una mujer de hogar” (p. 675),
- meaning you have to be a housewife. Latina women from this generation know little
about how to survive on their own. They also face acculturation and some may even
have undocumented immigration status.
Villenas and Moreno (2001) state that the work of these mothers is to be caring
and loving mothers who raise children. These mothers are denied the opportunity to be
something else than a wife and mother. This results in an inability to make well-formed
decisions in an assertive manner and that can exacerbate their limited career exploration.
Consequences of the Problem
According to Wildsmith (2004) there is a rise in female heads of household and
these mothers face economic disadvantage. They usually stay on welfare longer if they
have poor self-fulfillment and cannot leave the welfare program. Wildsmith (2004)
argues that this population has poverty levels three times higher than the white
population. Women in this population go from one low paying part-time job to another
and stay on welfare due to their limited income.
6 Members of this focus group are often unable to make the most productive career
and educational decisions thus facing limited career opportunities due to limited
information. In addition, they lack the career planning skills and current information for
career exploration that could allow them to make better decisions and learn about their
interests, values and skills. All of the previously mentioned prevents them from finding
an occupation that will assist them. They are also losing the opportunity of continuing
their education.
Limitations of this Project
A primary limitation for this project is the sparse amount of research on this
population in regards to career programs and application of career theories aimed toward
Latina mothers in transition. Current career theories have limited adaptability for this
population unless there is an economic or social policy reason there are limited reasons to
differentiate support, education or providing assistance to a minority group. As a result,
there is little focus on career development strategies or theories for Latinas.
Another limitation is that this group often does not have access to health, mental
health or counseling which may lead to perpetuating the issue of illness, depression,
violence, anxiety and substance abuse affecting career development.
This program will only focus on divorced Latinas with children on welfare. It
will not try to solve issues of discrimination or deep counseling issues like depression,
substance abuse and domestic violence. It is not intended to train social workers. The
focus group will need to be able to read and write English equivalent to middle school.
These mothers need to have housing.
This program will attempt to provide career exploration and self-discovery that
7 will prepare them for securing an occupation or employment with benefits and legal
protection but it is not granted that they will be given an occupation at the end of the
program.
Definition of Technical Terms
Acculturation – “The adoption of mainstream norms, values, and language,
including beliefs and norms surrounding marriage timing and formation, divorce, and
childbearing” (Arias, 2001, p. 91).
Assimilation – “Referred to the social, economic, and political integration of a
race/ethnic minority or immigrant group into the mainstream” (Wildsmith, 2004, p. 90).
Career Development – “The total constellation of psychological, sociological,
educational, physical, economic, and chance factors that combine to influence the nature
and significance of work in the total lifespan of any given individual” (National Career
Development Association (NCDA) Board of Directors, 2003).
Job – “An identified set of duties and responsibilities – paid or unpaid – assigned
to be performed usually on a sustaining, ongoing basis by one person. “Position” is a set
of competencies (skills and knowledge) required as a component of the overall mission of
the agency, organization, or setting in which the position exists” (NCDA Board of
Directors, 2003).
Latino – “Those who identify as a person of Cuban, Mexican, South and Central
American, Spanish culture or origin” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010, p. 2).
Interests – “Interests are likes or preferences in occupational areas. “Interests
provide a measurement of job activity preferences in terms of clusters of meaningfully
related occupations at the professional, or college oriented level” (Career Occupational
8 Preference System Interests Inventory Form-P (COPS-P), Knapp-Kee, 2000, p. 4)
Mexican-American – “Refers to people who report their origin as Mexican. It
can include people born in Mexico, in the United States, or in other countries” (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2010, p. 2).
Occupation – “One’s primary work task in the world of paid employment”
(NCDA Board of Directors, 2003).
Self-efficacy – Self-efficacy is based upon people’s beliefs that they can
successfully accomplish something. This belief in oneself has been viewed as playing a
central role in career choice-directing interests, values, or abilities” (Bandura, 2002).
Values – Values are beliefs and ideas that are important to an individual. It is
important to take those values into account when choosing an occupation or a career,
because it can determine whether you will be happy with your work or not (Career
Orientation Placement & Evaluation Survey (COPES), Knapp and Knapp-Lee, 1995).
Work – “Sustained, conscious paid and/or unpaid effort, other than that having as
its primary purpose either coping or relaxation, aimed at producing societally acceptable
benefits for oneself and/or for oneself and others” (NCDA Board of Directors, 2003).
Summary
This chapter provided a brief introduction and description of the focus group,
highlighting their challenges, struggles and problems. These mothers are in need of
support, resources, career exploration and development. Moreover, these mothers are in
need of a program that will give them the tools for independence and decision-making
strategies, which will result in a more effective understanding of the workforce.
Chapter 2 will focus on the literature and theoretical approaches relevant to this
9 population. This chapter will emphasize the career needs of divorced Latina mothers and
challenges to typical career development. It will also include programs that currently
exist. Finally, career interventions, which meet the needs of this population, will be
discussed.
10 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review
General Introduction to the Literature Review
This chapter consists of the following: an overview of the career development
theorist Donald Super’s theory; a review of literature regarding this target population, as
well as an identification of career issues; a discussion of other existing programs; an
identification of the specific career problems that this program is designed to address; the
theoretical approaches the author proposes to meet the career development needs of the
focus group; and, suggested career intervention to meet the needs of Latina mothers on
welfare.
There is substantial research available for review about divorced mothers on
welfare, but more research needs to be done on the experience of divorced Latina
mothers on welfare. This is extremely important, as the population of Latinos has
increased dramatically over the years to reach 16% of the total population of the United
States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The percentage of articles available for review
regarding divorced Latina mothers on welfare is 23% compared to the total number of
articles for divorced women on welfare. Hence, there are limitations for this project.
This is why it is important to have more research articles available for review specifically
for this population.
The purpose of this chapter is to bring awareness by discussing career issues from
the problems and challenges of the focus group to the typical career development needs
of unemployed Latina divorced mothers on welfare. The chapter will review and discuss
other programs in existence.
Summary of General Career Development (Donald Super)
11 Donald Super’s 1990 career development theory will be used as a means of
identifying “general career development.” The theory will allow the author to establish
basic processes most people move through in their lives and factors that will prevent the
“typical” career development of this population. It will be used to recognize the
importance of how physiological, environmental, psychological, and developmental
factors integrate impacting one’s life span, time spent fulfilling various roles in their life,
and career development (Super, 1990). Super’s Life-Span Theory (Super’s theory)
includes late adolescent and adult career development and it has three major conceptsself-concept, lifespan and life space (Super, 1970). The importance of each role depends
on the participation and commitment to the activity. There are six major roles according
to Super and they include: child, student, leisurite, citizen, worker and homemaker. Role
salience is the concept that roles have different levels of importance during one’s life
such that child, student, and leisurite are important during child to adolescent stages of
development while the roles of citizen, worker, and homemaker all have a sense of
responsibility attached to them and refer to adulthood (Super, 1990). This theory will be
used to identify what roles this population might not experience fully. Also, where they
are likely to have career problems. This population did not experience their student,
leisurite, citizen, and worker roles. Their role has been that of a homemaker.
The self-concept component applies directly to this population. This population
needs their vocational self-concept to develop through physical and mental growth,
observations of work, identification with working adults, and general experiences. As
follows, “experiences become broader in relation to awareness of world of work, a most
sophisticated vocational self-concept is formed (Zunker, 1998, p. 31). Self-concept refers
12 to an individual’s perception of themselves and their circumstances in terms of their roles
and interactions with others, this perception is impacted by external forces such as the
economy, society, community, school, family, and social policy. According to Super, an
individual’s perception of self and society changes with time and experience. So as these
women endeavor to create a new life in a somewhat unfamiliar country and culture as in a
voluntary role and sent of experiences not accepted by their local community, they face
developing two new aspects of their self concept: work identity and marital role identity.
Super’s lifespan and life space concepts are characterized by multiple life stages,
linked to developmental tasks. The lifespan is characterized by developmental stages;
growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement (Super, 1957).
These five major life stages are part of a maxicycle process, which proceeds from one’s
birth to their death (Super, 1990). The more important aspect for this paper relates to
Super’s life stages. Reviewing these gives us an understanding of which stage
competencies may have limited development due to individual and group limitations,
cultural mores, religious values, or social conventions. Then we can design a program to
meet the specific needs of a population.
Super’s Life Stages
The growth stage typically extends from birth to 14 years and includes both
physical and psychological growth. In the growth stage, individuals develop their selfconcept, interests, attitudes, capacity, and needs. This is probably the only stage they
passed.
The exploration stage according to Super’s theory (1957) extends from about 15
to 25 years of age. In this stage, individuals begin to identify skills, interests, and values,
13 through a self-discovery process and explore occupations that will lead them to make a
decision and eventually enter the workforce. These women are primary caregivers for the
children and family who can affect entrance into the stages of exploration, establishment
and maintenance. They may not have passed this stage or any of the following. They
did not explore occupations between 15 to 25 years of age because usually during this
time these mothers got married. These women need career exploration due to their lack
of student and leisurite roles. Career exploration includes self-discovery where
individuals begin to identify their skills, interests, and values. These women frequently
lack the opportunity to experience the career development process found in the initial
stages of exploration. This program will assist them in exploring and self-discovery
which will give them better understanding of the workforce.
The establishment stage extends from 25 to about 45 years of age. This involves
establishing oneself in the beginning roles of working life and citizen. It could be an
occupation for many years or a job for those in unskilled occupations. In this stage it is
suggested that people will be working during their lifetime. These Latinas have not
established themselves in the world of work and therefore have little work experience.
These women often assure the traditional role of homemaker and delay their education
and working life in the establishment stage. Establishment can be critically affected for
this population. The development of self-concept may be repressed as a result of lifestyle
and choices or lack of choices. The program will be a beginning point to assist them in
the exploration and establishment stages described by Super’s theory. It will allow them
to secure an occupation with benefits and legal protection in which they can establish
themselves in the beginning of working life and leave welfare.
14 The last two stages, maintenance and disengagement are areas not covered in this
program. As mentioned earlier, the early stages of Super’s career development model
provide an understanding of the conditions and early life impacts that help identify those
areas where assistance, training and education will be helpful to members of this
population.
The maintenance and disengagement stages occur during the later portion of an
individuals’ career or work path. They both will be described, but for this population the
majority of career and personal issues that interfere with the population’s ability to take
advantage of the work and education opportunities most often occur in the first three
stages of their work life. The maintenance stage extends from about age 45 to 65 years.
It occurs when the person is not advancing but is still maintaining his or her status in their
work (Super). The last stage is disengagement in which the person is no longer able,
willing or wanting in the daily work progress in the career process. This has been called
a “decline” in terms of interest in continuing the work role. It can be due to physical
limitations or disinterest.
Review of Literature
Culture and Family Expectations
In the Latino culture, women’s main role is to take care of the household and
children. As such, they have to be obedient, respectful towards elders and their husband.
They cannot question why men have to be served first (Villenas & Moreno, 2001). As
mentioned previously, Latinos cultural background comes from a collectivistic culture in
which the individual’s concerns and perspectives are subsumed by those of the larger
culture. These gender roles are set by traditional cultural norms and are not to be
15 discussed- it just has to be done, but this work is often questioned for its value in
comparison to men’s work.
Latinas “fit into systems of oppression” (Villenas & Moreno, 2001, p. 673) by
learning to be a housewife. Contradictory is the fact that as these women are oppressed,
they become their own oppressors, as the traditional culture makes females the ones in
charge of teaching these ethics and morals to the next generation of females. This
includes but is not limited to respect, housework, and traditional customs. Villenas and
Moreno (2001) argue that these women become victims and victimizers, colonized and
colonizers. As children, they witness the contradictory messages of their stay-home
moms who hate what they do. As adults, they continue to send the same message to their
own children. Latinas are denied the opportunity of creativity and intellect by cultural
traditions devaluing the knowledge that they possess.
Family and Education
Valdes (1996) suggests that in the Mexican-American culture, the word
“education” has a different meaning than school and book learning (p. 125). Education in
this culture is a form of teaching and learning that takes place in the household. Mothers
in this case become the teachers of their daughters and are responsible for the transfer of
cultural knowledge, including moral values, loyalty and respect, which are part of
teaching a good education (Villenas & Moreno, 2001). Actually, for these women formal
education learning is out of the question. Their role as married women puts a barrier
between them and education. These women care, love, and raise their children leaving
no time for school, career exploration, and career development.
Divorce
16 Greenstein and Davis’s (2006) study of cross-national variations in divorce shows
that for Roman Catholic countries the divorce rate is lower compared to other Western
countries and the United States. Latinas living in the U.S. despite their upbringing are
being influenced by the American mainstream culture, creating alternatives for women
such as freedom of choice in marital status. This explains why even though divorce is
banned for Latin American countries, the number of divorced Latinas living in the U.S. is
increasing. This new phenomenon requires more research and attention (Greenstein &
Davis, 2006).
Greenstein and Davis (2006) state that the “absence effect” increases the
possibilities for divorce. The “absence effect” happens when the wife is away from
traditional homemaking responsibilities. Divorce occurs when women work outside the
home, because employment takes the wife away from traditional homemaking
responsibilities, which results in stress and conflict within the marriage. Traditionally in
the Latino culture the man is the one that supports the household, but if more and more
Latinas start working they loose another reason to keep a marriage. Also, access to
welfare increases divorce rates because it reduces economic dependence on marriage.
Acculturation
According to Arias (2001), acculturation is the adoption of mainstream norms,
values, language, marriage timing and formation, divorce and child bearing.
Acculturation is measured by the participation of a minority group in mainstream group
roles and activities. These Latina mothers are learning and discovering the values and
norms of the mainstream culture. They have limited English skills, live alienated from
17 mainstream society, know little about the mainstream culture, and are still in the
assimilation process, which results in low acculturation levels.
Discrimination
Discrimination and undocumented status are issues that need to be addressed
because they interfere with their career development. Discrimination against Latinos
makes it difficult for these mothers to find a job. Their undocumented status limits the
help and support they can receive. Marchevsky and Theoharis (2008) argue that they are
denied access to work and social support from welfare such as childcare, training,
education, and transportation. Their research concludes that race, gender, and immigrant
status obstruct and limit their access to welfare and other assistance and keeps them in
low-wage, dirty, and temporary jobs.
However, the interviewees disagree that language is a barrier to get welfare
benefits. According to them they are given the option to choose their language of
preference--in this case, Spanish. California has many welfare social workers that speak
Spanish. Nevertheless, it is difficult for these women to find a good job when they are
unable to communicate in English or further their education.
Mental and Health Services
Latinos are less likely to have or use health and mental services on a regular basis,
due to lack of education, networks, supportive and positive environment. They also have
a negative view towards health and mental services. Minority groups have the lowest
rate using health or mental services (Hildebrandt and Kelber, 2005). Unfortunately, the
results are the use of alcohol, drugs, and domestic violence. As well as illnesses and lack
of birth control knowledge. In a large three-city study, “87% of the mothers reported
18 mental health problems based on a diagnoses by a mental health professional, and 52% of
the families reported current mental and physical health problems in both the primary
caregiver and at least one of the children” (Burton, Lein, & Kolak, 2005, p. 5).
Supportive Network
Campbell-Grossman and colleagues (2009) make a case for the importance and
the need of social support for this population. This includes but is not limited to family,
friends, and health care providers. It can be true that due to divorce or distance they are
away from family and friends. This is why it is so important for them to find an
occupation with benefits and legal protection where they can get some of that supportive
networks. This employment can provide them with opportunities, resources, and new
information.
Stress
According to Hildebrandt and Kelber (2005), women on welfare are stressed
partially due to the fact that they are unable to find an employment that is well paid so
that they can support their families on their own. Women, who have lost welfare and
have not found work, take low-wage jobs and continue to live in poverty. They are
responsible for raising their children. It is difficult for these mothers to take care of their
children when they get sick because they will lose work time and consequently wages.
Scarbrough (2001) describes how one mother got fired after spending time taking care of
her children- one having tonsillitis and the other one having severe seizures. Almost 4
million children are in the care of these severely challenged mothers. These disconnected
women report serious barriers to work, including low education, learning disabilities,
health problems, history of domestic violence or substance abuse, extremely low income,
19 economic pressures, inadequate housing, and unsafe neighborhoods, all of which create
stress that affects their parenting (Blank, 2007).
Employability
This population has a low level of employability due to their many barriers to
work. Their limited employability is for the most part due to their lack of education, little
work experience, and limited English. Consequently, they have few transferable skills
for the workforce. The obligations they have at home and with their children may cause
the following stereotypes: overly sexual, irresponsible, and lazy for some employers.
Therefore, they will end up taking the lowest paying jobs in the unskilled market. The
above issues are characteristics of this population and interfere with the “typical” career
development process proposed by Donald Super’s Theory.
Problems and Challenges to Typical Career Development of Divorced Latina
Mothers
Career development theories were created with the typical development of an
individual’s career development process. This means that minorities and females were
not taken into consideration when the stages were created and structured. The focus
group – divorced Latina mothers- does not follow the stages described by the typical
career development theories. The following problems and challenges interfere with the
typical career development of this focus group: lack of a supportive and positive
environment, lack of work experience, and lack of skills.
Lack of a supportive and positive environment – This environment includes
friends, family, mentors, and services available for these single mothers. Their role as
married mothers kept them away from making friends, working, and gaining knowledge
20 of the workforce. This group has the lowest poverty levels and lives in unsafe
environments. They need all the support they can get from the community, not only for
their own good, but also for the safety and future of their children.
Lack or limited work experience – These clients have had little opportunity to
develop in the world of work. Their lack of education and work history is one of the
major challenges for the career development of these divorced Latina mothers. This
problem becomes a real challenge when this population is looking for a full-time
permanent employment. This program will include career counselors that will guide
them and assist them explore, learn, and understand the career process.
Lack of knowledge of skills – They have little or no work experience, so they
typically have not acquired skills that are suitable for a more effective understanding of
the world of work that will enable them to acquire a stable occupation with benefits and
legal protection. Their previous jobs provided low wages and few or no benefits, limiting
their possibilities. This program will provide the career exploration necessary for them to
become aware of their individual skills, interests, and values. These clients face limited
knowledge of career options and career skills necessary to succeed in the primary labor
market.
Career Development Needs the Program Will Affect
There are social, economical, psychological, educational and career related issues
that divorced Latina mothers face. They might not have the support of friends and family
due to their divorce or immigrant status, as many immigrants come to the United States
alone, leaving their families behind. This section will only focus on the critical career
problems that affect the career development of the group.
21 •
Self-Discovery and Career Exploration – Clients do not know who they are as
individuals. They lack identity, personality, and decision-making strategies.
These women need career exploration and self-discovery. Career exploration
includes becoming aware of their individual interests, values, skills, aptitudes and
personality. Interests are the activities that an individual enjoys doing. Values
are needs within the work environment, and skills are the activities an individual
does well naturally. Aptitudes reveal a person’s probable future level of ability to
perform a task. Personality refers to occupational selection based on individual
differences, which can be biological, sociological and psychological. Career
exploration will provide them with a better understanding of the world of work.
This group needs an occupation that can keep them away from going back to
welfare. These clients need to stay away from part-time and temporary jobs. This
population needs to acquire personal responsibility and self-efficacy in order to
provide a better life for their children.
•
Career Counselor – The career counselor is someone that can share his or her
knowledge with these women and be a role model. Female counselors would be
preferable, because they can be an example of achievement and self-assurance.
The clients’ self-esteem will improve because they will have a role model they
can rely on and have as a support to continue moving forward.
•
Values – Values are beliefs and ideas that are important to an individual. It is
important to take those values into account when choosing an occupation or a
career, because it can determine whether you will be happy with your work.
Clients will take the Career Orientation Placement & Evaluation Survey (COPES)
22 (Knapp and Knapp-Lee, 1995) assessment provided and gain a better
understanding of their values and how values relate to career exploration.
•
Interests, skills, and values – Clients will take the Career Occupational
Preference System (COPSystem) (Knapp, Knapp, and Knapp-Lee, 1989)
assessment provided by the facilitator. As part of the career exploration clients
will take the (COPSystem) assessment provided to gain a better understanding of
the workforce by learning to match between their interests, skills, and values with
occupations.
•
Job Search Skills – Individuals in this population need to learn how to become
self-sufficient and responsible. These clients need to find an occupation that can
move them and their family above the poverty level. Participants will be
introduced to online sites for exploration, description, and job search for
occupations.
•
Informational Interview – Interviewing skills will give this population an
opportunity to express and sell themselves to future employers. They will be able
to network, learn about occupations from experts, acquire connections, social
support, learn about the world of work, and make connections with people.
Programs in Existence
Welfare is a governmental program to which single women often apply when they
become divorced or find themselves alone for any reason. Welfare is a solution for many
single mothers who have to raise their kids and cannot afford to pay for appropriate
childcare, since they do not have stable employment. Some women on welfare go to
school or work and take care of their children, while others just take care of their
23 children. Scarbrough (2001) believes that these women could not get out of poverty
because of low paying jobs and low educational level. According to a participant in this
study, “She found that welfare was her best survival choice: although providing less than
the salary she could earn, it was full-time and stable, offered benefits like health care,
provided access to a rent subsidy and food stamps, and allowed her to be home with her
daughters” (Scarbrough, 2001, p. 266). The participants tried to go to work after their
infants were born but discovered that they could not pay for babysitters or childcare with
the salaries from their low paying jobs and, therefore, they went back on welfare.
As the focus changes to the effect of re-entering the workforce on single mothers
on welfare, as they attempt to retain the benefits from work-based welfare programs to
ensure family security, it appears that many find the experience both stressful and
positive, in that it gives them a feeling of independence. Hildebrandt and Kelber (2005)
focus on several welfare programs that have required single mothers to work in order to
maintain eligibility for income benefits from welfare, examining the women’s
perceptions of their own health and well being. These programs include; the 1966
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), Aid to
Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF).
According to Vartanian and McNamara (2004), it is a common belief that some
women on welfare rely too much on welfare and become dependent. They do not make
an effort to do something to improve their situation. Thus, the welfare system has
constantly changed from program to program in an effort to deal with this issue. The first
program developed was (PRWORA), followed by (AFDC), and now (TANF). Due to
24 this concern, a welfare reform program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
TANF was created (2004). The research conducted by Vartanian and McNamara (2004)
indicates that staying on welfare for a long time has the same negative outcome as
experiencing long-term poverty.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Daly and Kwok (2009) indicate that the welfare reform program called TANF
avoids welfare dependency and gives single mothers an opportunity to be more selfsufficient. The welfare reform ended dependency on welfare by making them work.
There was also an effort made to promote marriage among these single mothers, because
marriage was seen as a second income for them. According to Gemelli (2008), with
marriage they were also promoting the traditional image of the family where the father
works and the mother stays home. Otherwise, these mothers were forced to be
responsible for both income and caretaking. The aim of the reform program was to put
them to work but not to train them and send them back to school. These women can only
find low paying jobs with no benefits. Hildebrandt and Stevens (2009) argue that these
women were not followed up after termination.
In addition, during the reform some mothers left TANF for jobs, then lost the job
and were unable to go back into the program (Gemelli, 2008). These mothers who work
in low paying jobs with no benefits have to take their children to home-based childcare.
In the end, TANF reduced caseloads but these women ended up with no benefits and no
work, because they could not find work as required by TANF. In Gemelli’s study (2008),
mothers argue that they can only pay for childcare if they had a good paying job, which
was not the case for them. They feel trapped because they need to take care of their
25 children and also work. Gemelli (2008) indicates that these mothers preferred the
traditional welfare, because they could stay home and raise their children. Contrary to
the above study, Kyunghee (2009) argues that due to the fact that single mothers who are
working while on welfare find a decrease on benefits and their total income decreases.
TANF services are not intensive or flexible to meet the needs of these women.
This population needs a program with more effective employment assistance and other
support for them and their children. This program will provide childcare at a childcare
center at the community college were the program will take place. The program requires
intensive case management, as some women might be able to work only part-time or be
temporarily unable to work. This program emphasizes the education they will receive
from career exploration and development.
Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program
The goal of the GAIN program is the following, “The GAIN program provides
employment-related services to California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids
(CalWORKs) participants, in order to help them find employment, stay employed, move
on to higher paying jobs, and gain self-sufficiency and independence”
(http://www.ladpss.org/dpss/calworks/, p. 1). In reality, the Job Club in the GAIN
Program is failing because clients are far away from education and into low wage jobs
(Marchevsky & Theoharis, 2008). Social workers feel pressure to reduce their caseloads
because there is not enough money from the state’s budget to keep all these mothers in
the welfare system. Thus, a significant number of these mothers have not found work,
are forced to accept any manual labor and others lose their benefits because they cannot
keep up with all the requirements of the program. These women are trained to write a
26 resume when they do not know the language. Also, they are taught proper workplace
attire and are told how to speak, manage their time, and spend their money. These
women go through the humiliation of dressing up in suit, as they are sent to apply for
manual labor jobs with little opportunity for full-time, instead of white-collar jobs and
skilled trades (Marchevsky & Theoharis, 2008).
This population needs a program that can be more culturally sensitive for these
women. Organista (2009) suggests that new practices should include an increase in
services that are family-centered and community-based, and address within-group
diversity. This article describes the importance of developing collaborations between
welfare agencies and Latino communities, by becoming involved in the Latino
community, understanding diversity within Latino communities, identifying of
community resources, and building the relationship through confianza (trust). Also, they
are often not able to communicate with a service provider. This program will not make
them go through something they are not ready for. The program will make sure that they
are ready for the career development and exploration program.
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
The CalWorks is a welfare program that provides temporary financial assistance
and employment services to families with children who have low income and poverty
levels below state maximum limits for their family size. Most parents are also required to
participate in the CalWORKs and GAIN employment services program
(www.ladpss.org/dpss/calworks/ and http://www.cdss.ca.gov/calworks/). The program
serves all 58 counties in the state of California.
Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE)
27 The CARE program in some community colleges like Los Angeles Mission
College (http://www.lamission.edu/kiosk/eops.html) gives support to current Extended
Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS) students. In order to qualify, the student has
to be single, head of household, receiving public assistance and cash aid, with at least one
child under 14 years of age. The program provides Cash grants, book grants, counseling,
community/cultural participation, and meal vouchers.
The Role of Career Counselors in this Program
In this section the author will attempt to explain how this program is better
designed for this population in comparison with other programs. Career counselors play
an important role in the program, because they are role models for the participants. The
career counselor will guide the participants through the process and take them step-bystep along the road of success. The career counselor is someone that will share
knowledge with the participants in the program.
The career counselors as professionals in the area will be able to address and
assess the participants, to make sure that they are a good fit for the program. They make
sure that issues such as substance abuse, stress, housing, domestic violence, are under
control. To be considered a participant in the program, a person should be ready for the
career development process and have dealt with most of the problems above mentioned.
Otherwise, if the career counselor feels during the interview that a person is not ready,
that person will not be selected to participate. The career development program, with the
facilitation of a career counselor, will assist clients in creating a supportive network,
prepare for job search, explore occupations, and discover values, interests, and skills to
match occupations.
28 Theoretical Approaches which meet the Career Development Issues of the Focus
Group
Schlossberg’s Transition theory
Schlossberg’s Transition theory applies to divorced Latina women. The 4-S
model includes an awareness of the following: the situation in which the client finds
themselves, the understanding of the self, the identification and evaluation of available
support, the identification of appropriate strategies, and the descriptions the factors that
make a difference in how one copes with change. This theory applies to this population
because these mothers are experiencing a major event that is their divorce. These
mothers go through a series of phases that trigger a major event. They need to recover
from that major event, become self-sufficient, find work and eventually get out of welfare
(Schlossberg, 1981).
First, we have the situation; this is triggered by the divorce. After years and years
of being a housewife and a mom who did not have to work or worked part-time, now they
are responsible for everything, including housing, food, etc. The transition involves a
role change, as these mothers now have to be both a mother and a father. They enter the
world of work full-time to have an earning. The major event situation adds to the stress
of raising children and taking care of their emotional and material needs.
Second, the understanding of the self depends on the characteristics of the
individual, such as socioeconomic status, gender, age, and ethnicity. In this case the
population is 25-40 years old Latina females. This population will have a harder time
finding employment and keeping it. It will also be difficult for them to find work due to
29 the limited English language. Their socioeconomic status and background will also
present a difficulty for these mothers.
Third, identifying support, which will come from relationships, family units,
networks, friends, and the community. The support they can get from others is very
important for this population and their development in the world of work and in society
in general. They usually take the lowest paying jobs doing manual labor because they do
not know any better. They need all the support and assistance from networks, the
community, and friends.
Finally, identifying appropriate strategies that these mothers will use depend on
the individual. Fortunately, there are resources available for these mothers that will
transition them into the world of work, independence, and self-efficacy, and their new
role as divorced single mothers. There are programs like welfare and GAIN as well as
classes and training, but many of these women have a limited English.
Trait and factor theory
The trait and factor theory can apply to the career issues of divorced Latina
women. This theory involves the assessment of characteristics between a person and the
job (Sharf, 2006). Trait refers to, “a characteristic of an individual that can be measured
through testing” (Sharf, 2006, p. 25). Factor refers to matching characteristic(s) required
for a job. These mothers need to be assessed for characteristics such as: attitudes,
abilities, interests, ambitions, personality and resource limitations, which are all part of
the trait and factor theory (Sharf, 2006). This theory will be used along with assessments
to assist these mothers in discovering their characteristics. Then they can use these
30 personal characteristics to match possible matching characteristics of an occupation that
will be a good fit for them.
Specific Career Interventions to meet the Needs of Divorced Mothers
The career interventions for this population will focus on career exploration, selfdiscovery, career assessments, and job search preparation. This means helping the
participants discover who they are, as they lack identity, personality, self-concept, and
decision-making strategies.
The career exploration process will give this population the information and
knowledge necessary to find an occupation with benefits and legal protection. The
Occupational Interests Card Sort (Knowdell, 2002) will clarify participants’ interests.
Additionally, the Career Occupation Preference System (COPSystem) assessment will
help these participants learn to match their interests, values, and skills to occupations.
They will learn the requirements and conditions necessary to qualify for various
occupations. Ultimately, the goal is for participants to be better prepared to enter the
world of work with the tools necessary to find and keep an occupation.
They will learn about informational interviews, which will be an asset for the
participants. They will help them acquire networks, learn about occupations from
experts, get social support, and learn about the world of work. Individuals in this
population do not have job search skills. They will learn how to become self-sufficient
and be able to search for jobs.
Summary
This program will be a career exploration and self-discovery program consisting
of seven sessions including the following: self-discovery, career assessments,
31 occupational exploration and job search preparation. It will be a program for divorced
Latina mothers that will prepare them for a more effective understanding of the
workforce and an occupation that will be an excellent fit for them according to their
interests, skills, and values.
32 CHAPTER 3: Justification of the Program
Logic of the Program
This program has been created for divorced Latina mothers on welfare looking for
an occupation. These are individuals who are experiencing the transition caused by a
divorce and all the changes that are linked to this event. This population confronts lack
of a supportive and positive environment, lack of work experience, and lack of skills.
Furthermore, they have to cope with economic problems, acculturation, identity, a role
change, and a life change directly impacting them and their children. All of the above
factors impact their ability to find and keep employment.
The purpose of the program is to assist the participants in their own career
exploration and self-discovery that will result in a more effective understanding of the
world of work. The program will prepare them for securing an occupation with benefits
and legal protection that will be a perfect fit for their interests, values, and skills. The
career development program for divorced Latina mothers looking for an occupation will
be composed of three different modules, including Pre-Career Exploration, Career
Development Program, and Post-Program.
The Pre-Career Exploration Program will be working directly with welfare to
ensure that welfare provides these women with a starting point, basic needs, etc. In the
Pre-Career Exploration these women will benefit from English classes, General
Education Development (GED), and other trainings provided, along with housing, food,
childcare, etc. Also, the Pre-Career Exploration Program will be a place for these women
to cope with acculturation, identity, a role change, and a life change. The career
counselor will give them an intake to see if they qualify to be in the program and if the
33 group is a good fit for them, as there are general competencies that need to be met by the
participants. These mothers need to know English so that they can read and write at a 7th
grade level- equivalent to middle or high school education. Also, they need to be referred
to personal, violence, abuse, and substance abuse counseling programs, if needed, as well
as housing.
The Career Development Program will include seven weekly sessions (one
session each Monday of the week), and each session will be two hours long, and it will
include self-discovery, career assessments, career exploration, and job search preparation
necessary for the world of work. There will be an introduction to the trait and factor
theory by assisting these Latina mothers find a match between their skills, values, and
interests and what they consider suitable occupations using the Career Occupation
Preference System (COPSystem) (Knapp and Knapp-Lee, 1995). In order for the
program to be helpful in self-discovery, we will have an activity using the Occupational
Interests Card Sort (Knowdell, 2002). Furthermore, these women will be introduced to
informational interviews and job search skills.
The Post-program will focus on resume writing, job interview skills, and filling
out job applications correctly. In the Post-program, clients will achieve self-efficacy and
hopefully find a full-time occupation with benefits and legal protection that they can keep
and enjoy.
Ideally, facilitators of the program will have a Masters degree in career
counseling. The assistant can be a graduate student currently enrolled in a master degree
in a counseling program, in his or her second year of study, with a graduate supervisor.
Connecting A Theoretical Approach to this Program
34 Super’s theory dealing with the development of the self-concept, lifespan and life
space is important in understanding the situation these women face, as they often lack
the necessary age-appropriate experiences of an adult. This population does not know
who they are as individuals: they lack skills, lack of work experience, lack of a
supportive and positive environment, and decision-making strategies. Self-discovery and
career exploration includes becoming aware of their skills, interests, and values. The
career development of these women is at the growth stage when, according to Super’s
theory, an individual between 25-40 years of age should be in the establishment stage.
They are missing the exploration stage, which is between the years of 15-25, because
most of them are married at this age. This stage is characterized by exploring
occupations and careers by taking classes or working and through those experiences, they
make a decision, plan for a career, and occupation objectives. This program will be
implementing the exploration stage through seven intensive sessions that will prepare
them for the establishment stage. This is the stage where an individual starts their
working life. These women need the career guidance in order to start their career
development and working life.
The Schlossberg transition framework model will be used in this program for
adults to explore, understand, and cope. The 4-S system helps the individual cope during
a transition. In this case we can analyze the transition of these women in terms of their
situation, understanding the self, identifying support, and identifying appropriate
strategies. Their current situation is that they are divorced while simultaneously going
through a change in their role and life style, a change in status, as well as economic
pressures. The understanding of the self includes their resources- personal and
35 demographic, for example: socioeconomic status, culture/race/ethnicity, gender role, age
and stage of life. These minority women with children have low education and low
employment opportunities. Identifying their support comes from external resources for
example: social support, friends, network, institutions such as welfare, Greater Avenues
for Independence (GAIN), community colleges, occupational centers, Employment
Development Department (EDD), and support groups. Finally, identifying appropriate
strategies includes coping skills, such as responses to modify the situation, control the
meaning of the problem, and manage stress. For example, positive psychology can be
used for the improvement of self-esteem (i.e. community colleges, occupational centers,
and support groups).
The trait and factor theory applies to this population because it involves the
assessment of characteristics between a person and an occupation. This theory will assist
these women with a better understanding of a person’s interests, skills, values,
personality, attitudes, and ambitions. This is important because most of the time these
women lack knowledge of their characteristics. These characteristics will be assessed
and discovered through the use of the Career Occupational Preference system
(COPSystem) (Knapp and Knapp-Lee, 1995). This program will be a program for
divorced Latina mothers that will prepare them for a more effective understanding of the
world of work and for securing an occupation that will be a good fit for them according
to their values, interests, and skills.
Required Facilities, Staffing, Resources and Materials
•
Coordinator/career counselor
•
Career counselor
36 •
Career counselor assistant
•
A room that accommodates about 20 people
•
20 computers with Internet access and Microsoft Office Software
•
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012)
•
Projector
•
White projector screen
•
Tables
•
20 chairs
•
Telephone with multiple lines
•
Fax machine
•
Copier
•
File cabinet with lock and key
•
Miscellaneous office supplies
•
Paper
•
Pens/pencils
•
File folders
•
3 ring binders
•
Handouts
•
3 printers
Assessment Instruments
•
Career Occupational Preference System (COPSystem) – (EdITS/Educational and
Industrial Testing Service P.O. BOX 7234, San Diego, California 92167). The
Career Occupational Preference System (COPSystem) (Knapp, Knapp, and
37 Knapp-Lee, 1989) will be used in this program, because it will help clients
identify their interests, values, and skills. Also, the assessment system will
provide them with the requirements and conditions needed for various
occupations. Clients will take the COPSystem for career exploration and gain a
better understanding of their interests, skills, and values. The Career
Occupational Preference System Interest Inventory Form-P (COPS-P) (KnappLee, 2000) will assist clients in the career decision-making process by helping to
identify their interests. The Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS) (Knapp,
Knapp & Knapp-Lee, 1977, 2003) will help clients discover their skills through
the use of multiple batteries/subscales. CAPS will reveal their strong and weak
work-related skills useful in career development for the selection of an occupation
and training programs. The Career Orientation Placement & Evaluation Survey
(COPES) (Knapp & Knapp-Lee, 1995) will assist in the discovery of personal
values that will increase their self-awareness in the career development process.
This will represent their vocational values domain.
•
Occupational Interests Card Sort – (2002 by Richard L. Knowdell, MS, NCCC
CAREER RESEARCH & TESTING, INC P.O. Box 611930, San Jose, CA 95161
USA). The Occupational Interests Card Sort (Knowdell, 2002) will be used in
this program. This card sort is going to assist this population in defining
occupations that hold a high appeal to them and common characteristics that these
occupations share, for example: degree of readiness, skills, and knowledge
needed. This card sort will allow these women to build steps for career decisions
and entry into occupations (Osborn & Zunker, 2006). Clients will take the
38 Occupational Interests Card Sort Assessment and identify their preferred and
disliked occupations.
Forms/Handouts
•
Appendix A: Interview Questions and Score Sheet
•
Appendix B: Intake Handout
•
Appendix C: Occupations Handout
•
Appendix D: Top 5 Occupations of Interest
•
Appendix E: Self-Discovery Handout
•
Appendix F: What is an Informational Interview worksheet?
•
Appendix G: Informational Interview Questions Handout
•
Appendix H: Work You Are Interested in Doing Handout
•
Appendix I: Skills Worksheet
•
Appendix J: Our Dream Company Handout
•
Appendix K: What is a Value? Worksheet
•
Appendix L: Career Websites Handout
Procedure
The program will be referred to possible participants identified by welfare
counselors and officials for career exploration, self-discovery, career assessments, and
theory. This will ensure that clients are receiving the necessary assistance to qualify for
the program. The program will be held at a community college for seven-sessions. Each
session will be two hours long.
The staff for this program will consist of one coordinator, one career counselor,
and an assistant. The assistant can be a graduate student currently enrolled in a master’s
39 degree in counseling in his or her second year of study, with a graduate supervisor. The
career counselor and coordinator need to have a Masters of Science degree in Career
Counseling. The coordinator should have 1 or 2 years of experience with this population
and the career counselor should have at least 1 year of experience. The intake will serve
as the pre-screening and will occur in the first session. The orientation will take place
once the clients are admitted into the program and a time and day will be set based on
availability.
In this Career Development Program clients will learn career terms such as skills,
interests, values, informational interview, and occupations. The clients will take the
COPS-P and learn about their interests, take the CAPS and learn about their skills.
Finally, they will take the COPES and learn about their values. These women will also
have an opportunity to learn online job searching to be self-sufficient and responsible.
They will be able to understand the trait and factor theory. The trait and factor theory
will help divorced Latina mothers find a match for their skills, values, interests, and what
they consider suitable occupations. The program will prepare them for securing an
occupation that they will enjoy with benefits and legal protection by having a more
effective understanding of the workforce.
General Program Goals and Sessions
Goals established for this program are:
1. By giving an intake, the counselor will make sure that each individual qualifies to
be in the program and determine if the group is a good fit for them. Clients will
benefit from self-discovery and career exploration.
2. The clients will be given the Occupational Interests Card Sort assessment in order
40 to identify 5 occupations that interest them and 5 occupations that do not.
3. The clients will participate in activities and discussions to enhance their selfknowledge and their understanding about interests, values, and skills.
4. The clients will learn about information interview, practice with classmates will
be conducted in class, and homework will be assigned.
5. The clients will take the COPS-P, gain a better understanding of their interests,
how interests relate to career exploration and their lives.
6. The clients will take the CAPS, gain a better understanding of their skills, how
skills relate to career exploration and their lives.
7. The clients will take the COPES, gain a better understanding of their values, how
values relate to career exploration and their lives.
8. Participants will learn job-searching strategies. Individuals in this population
need to learn personal responsibility, how to become self-sufficient, how to
practice and navigate online websites. Participants will navigate and explore
online job search websites.
41 CHAPTER 4: The Program
Session 1
(Individual Session)
Topic: Intake and Interview
Time: 2 hours for each participant
Goal: The coordinator and career counselor will make sure that each participant is a
good fit for the program.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
The clients will perform an interview utilizing the handout “Interview
Questions and score sheet” (Appendix A) conducted by the coordinator and
the career counselor in which the clients will identify a minimum of three
points why the program is a good match for them.
•
The clients will complete an intake assessment using the handout “Intake”
(Appendix B) to clarify background information.
•
The clients admitted to the program will have to commit to a seven-week selfdiscovery and career exploration by attending and participating in each one of
the sessions.
Materials:
1. “Interview Questions and Score Sheet”: Appendix A
2. “Intake” handout: Appendix B
Sequence of activities:
1. Individuals will get there at the assigned time and be greeted by the coordinator
and career counselor instructor. The individuals will introduce who they are and
42 the coordinator or instructor will explain the purpose of the interview and intake
over the course of a week or two. The interview is given to assess the participant
and to make sure that the program is a good match for the clients.
2. The coordinator and instructor will interview 15 to 20 participants referred from
the pre-career exploration program one at a time and evaluate their performance.
The performance will be scored on a 1-5 scale (1 being the lowest and 5 being the
highest on the scale).
3. The interviewer will explain the goals and objectives of the program to each
participant.
4. The handout “Interview Questions and Score Sheet” (Appendix A) will be used to
determine if the participants qualify for the program.
5. The participants will be notified via telephone within 2 weeks by the program
coordinator or counselor whether they are accepted to the program. The program
is looking for participants that can understand and read English at a 7th grade
level. Clients should have been referred to a counseling program (programs) if
needed and be ready for the career process. If not accepted, the participants will
be referred to other programs that can assist their needs at that time.
6. If the participant is admitted to the program, she will have to commit to a 7-week
self-discovery and career exploration program.
43 Session 2
(Individual Session)
Topic: Welcome and Career Exploration
Time: 2 hours
Goal: The clients will be exposed to the career development process by taking the
Occupational Interests Card Sort assessment
Behavioral Objectives:
•
After taking the Occupational Interests Card Sort assessment the participant
will be able to identify 5 occupations in which she is interested.
•
Participants will also be able to identify 5 occupations in which she is not
interested. This will allow her to stay away from occupations that don’t
interest her.
•
Participants research online catalogs and websites for five occupations that are
commonly found in programs available in occupational centers.
Materials:
1. “Occupations” handout: Appendix C
2. Dictionary
3. “Top 5 Occupations of Interest” handout: Appendix D
4. Computers with Internet access and Microsoft Office Software
Sequence of activities:
First half: (60 minutes)
1. The clients will be welcomed and applauded for their accomplishment and
making it into the self-discovery and career exploration program for Latina
44 mothers on welfare.
2. Facilitators will introduce themselves and their backgrounds and experiences.
3. As an ice-breaker, the participants will introduce themselves and answer a few
introductory questions.
•
Why are you here?
•
What do you want to accomplish during the program?
•
If you had all the money and no worries, what would be your dream job?
4. Facilitators will explain to the participants their role in the program as facilitators
in the self-discovery and career exploration program.
5. Facilitators will outline the goals of the program and expectations from the
participants.
6. A brief introduction of interests and exploration of the Occupational Interests
Card Sort assessment will follow. The Occupational Interests Card Sort
assessment helps individuals identify and ultimately understand occupations they
prefer, dislike, or are indifferent to, by organizing the occupations from the sort in
the groups probably interested, definitely interested, probably not interested,
definitely not interested, and indifferent. They will identify fields with high
appeal to them according to their common characteristics. It will be emphasized
to the participants that this assessment will enhance their decision- making
strategies and self-discovery, as they will have to decide which are their preferred
and disliked occupations.
Break: (20 minutes)
Second half: (40 minutes)
45 7. The clients will be given the Occupational Interests Card Sort assessment.
8. The clients will work individually to sort the cards into the groups probably
interested, definitely interested, probably not interested, definitely not interested,
indifferent, then fill out the “Occupations” handout (Appendix C) exercise and
write down the occupations for each group.
9. The clients can look up an occupation whose definition they don’t know in the
dictionary.
10. The clients will use the Internet to explore and search. They will use the handout
“Top 5 Occupations of Interest” (Appendix D) to find 5 occupations of their
interest, available at the West Valley Occupational Center website
(www.wvoc.net) and identify what those occupations have in common.
11. The clients will be asked to verbalize and share with the class their top 5
occupations of interest from the handout “Top 5 Occupations of Interest”
(Appendix D) exercise.
12. Homework: Bring a magazine for the next meeting session
46 Session 3
(Group Session)
Topic: Self-Discovery
Time: 2 hours
Goal: The clients will participate in this activity to enhance self-exploration, begin to
reflect on positive career thoughts, and self-discovery.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
Participants will create a poster board that will mirror their personality. In this
activity participants will identify at least 2 personal interests and 2 attributes.
•
After creating a poster board the participants will complete a written exercise
to identify 3 barriers that prevent them from obtaining their dream occupation
and identify 3 personal goals they have set for themselves while in the
program.
Materials:
1. Poster boards (white or color) (approximately 14x22 in.)
2. Various magazines
3. Color markers, pencils, and/or crayons
4. “Self-Discovery” handout: Appendix E
Sequence of activities:
First half: (40 minutes)
1. Place all materials on the table where the participants can have access to them and
provide each one of them with a poster board. Divide the participants into groups
of 4.
47 2. Introduce the activity as follows: “The poster board you just received represents a
mirror that can reflect you and what you are about.”
3. Participants will use the magazines to make an image of themselves that includes
their interests, attributes and preferences.
Break: (20 minutes)
Second half: (30 minutes for small group discussion).
4. Clients will answer questions on the “Self-Discovery” handout (Appendix E)
exercise.
5. Participants will have a small group discussion and share their findings about
interests, attributes, and preferences.
Third half: (30 minutes for general class discussion)
6. The groups will come back together and the facilitator will ask the participants to
share with the class their reflections and discoveries about themselves in the
“Self-Discovery” handout (Appendix E).
(Modified from Lisa Costas, Ph.D., 2005)
48 Session 4
(Individual and dyads Session)
Topic: Informational Interview
Time: 2 hours
Goal: The clients will learn and understand the value of informational interviews to
network, gain connections, and get back to work.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
The clients will learn about informational interviewing by watching a video with
the title of The Informational Interview while filing out the handout “What is an
Informational Interview?” (Appendix F).
•
The clients will get into dyads and come up with a list of appropriate questions on
the handout “Informational Interview Questions” (Appendix G) to ask in an
informational interview.
•
The clients will learn format and get firsthand experience by practicing with one
another to gain confidence and begin to master the skill.
•
The clients will conduct an informational interview within the next four weeks.
This will give them the opportunity to interact with a professional and begin their
networking experience.
Materials:
1. Laptop (Internet access and Microsoft Office Software)
2. Projector
3. Videos:
•
The Informational Interview – www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zd0vSkzEDI
49 •
Informational Interview –
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbbrpiA8F8&feature=related
4. “What is an Informational Interview?”: Appendix F
5. “Informational Interview Questions” handout: Appendix G
Sequence of activities:
First half: (40 minutes)
1. Facilitators will discuss the goals and objectives for this session with the
participants.
2. Facilitators will introduce and explain what an informational interview is by
utilizing a video titled The Informational Interview.
3. Facilitators will play the video The Informational Interview from YouTube that
will explain informational interviews. In the meantime, participants will take
notes on the handout “What is an Informational Interview?” (Appendix F).
4. Next, the counselor will play the video Informational Interview as an example of
an informational interview on the overhead. Participants will get into dyads and
write down potential questions to ask in an informational interview on (Appendix
G).
Break: (20 minutes)
Second half: (60 minutes)
5. The participants will be divided into dyads and practice informational
interviewing taking turns using questions from handout “Informational Interview
Questions” (Appendix G).
6.
Facilitators will answer and listen to general comments from the participants.
50 7. A brief introduction and explanation of the Career Occupational Preference
System Interest Form-P (COPS-P) assessment. The COPS-P assessment helps an
individual identify and ultimately understand the kinds of interests that may relate
to various occupational areas. The counselors will emphasize to the
participants that this assessment will enhance career decision-making, career
exploration and self-discovery.
8. Homework: Conduct an informational interview within four weeks. Take the
COPS-P assessment home and return to the career counselors’ office by Friday
for scoring.
51 Session 5
(Individual and Group Session)
Topic: Work you are Interested in Doing
Time: 2 hours
Goal: The participants will be exposed to the COPS-P assessment and have a better
understanding of their interests and the way they connect to various occupational areas.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
After taking the COPS-P assessment the participants will create an action plan
using a handout “Work You Are Interested in Doing” (Appendix H) and identify
5 interests.
•
Participants complete a written exercise to identify and describe their dream
occupation and future plans on the handout “Work You Are Interested in Doing”
(Appendix H).
•
Also, participants write down 3 barriers that prevent them from pursuing this
occupation and reflect on how to overcome these barriers on (Appendix H).
Materials:
1. COPS-P assessment
2. “Work You Are Interested in Doing” handout: Appendix H
Sequence of activities:
First half: (20 minutes)
1. The career counselor will show their assessment results as an example and an
explanation of how the counselor sees her interests related to her life.
Second half: (20 minutes in groups)
52 2. The clients will write down 3 occupations they are interested
in pursuing on the handout “Work You Are Interested in Doing” (Appendix H).
3. The clients will identify 5 interests from (Appendix H) and identify how they
relate to their life.
Break: (20 minutes)
Third half: (30 minutes in groups)
4. The participants will identify and describe their dream occupation on the handout
(Appendix H).
5. The participants will write down 3 barriers that prevent them from pursuing this
occupation and how to overcome these barriers.
General class discussion: (30 minutes)
6. The facilitator will give the last twenty minutes for questions, comments, and
observations on the importance of interests and their connection to occupations.
7. A brief introduction and explanation of the Career Ability Placement Survey
(CAPS) assessment. The CAPS assessment assists individuals to identify and
understand participants’ strong and weak abilities, which are useful in career
exploration and self-discovery for selection of an occupation, course of study and
training programs.
8. Homework: Take the CAPS assessment home and return to the career counselors’
office by Friday for scoring. Bring a picture for next meeting.
53 Session 6
(Individual and Group Session)
Topic: Skills
Time: 2 hours
Goal: Participants will examine their skills and be exposed to the career development
process by creating a fictitious company utilizing their skill/s.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
Participants will exercise reflective and critical thinking by creating a
fictitious company utilizing their skill/s on the handout “Our Dream
Company” (Appendix J).
•
Participants will verbalize 5 skills from their CAPS assessment and write it
down on the handout “Skills worksheet” (Appendix I).
•
Participants will examine their skills and reflect by writing down how they use
each skill in their daily life Appendix I.
Materials:
1. CAPS assessment
2. “Skills worksheet”: Appendix I
3. “Our Dream Company” handout: Appendix J
Sequence of Activities:
First half: (30 minutes)
1. The clients will utilize the handout “Skills Worksheet” (Appendix I) and use
critical thinking to verbalize 5 skills.
2. Also, the clients relate skills to career exploration and their life in Appendix I.
54 3. There will be a group discussion focusing on how they can relate their skills to
their future workplace using (Appendix I).
Break: (30 minutes)
Second half: (40 minutes)
4. Participants will get into groups of 6 to create a fictitious company in the handout
“Our Dream Company” (Appendix J) using their skills from the handout “Skills
worksheet” (Appendix I) and occupations from previous sessions and activities.
5. Participants will choose an oval shape from the handout “Our Dream Company”
and write down their name, occupation/s that they will be in charge of,
duties/skills and include their picture.
Third half: (20 minutes)
6. There will be a brief introduction and explanation of Career Orientation
Placement & Evaluation Survey (COPES) assessment. The COPES is an
assessment that helps an individual identify and understand their values.
Emphasize to participants that this assessment will increase their self-awareness
in the career development process.
7. Homework: Take the COPES assessment home and return it by Friday to the
counselors’ office for scoring.
55 Session 7
(Group Session)
Topic: Values
Time: 2 hours
Goal: Participants gain an understanding of (COPES) assessment in their career
exploration.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
Participants get into a group discussion in order to examine their values,
accomplishments and passions.
•
Participants complete a written exercise using “What is a Value?” worksheet
(Appendix K) in which they identify 6 values, 4 accomplishments and 3 passions.
Material:
1. COPES assessment
2. “What is a Value?”: Appendix K
Sequence of activities:
First half: (40 minutes)
1. The career counselors give instructions
2. Participants work in groups to identify 6 values, 4 accomplishments and 3
passions in “What is a Value?” (Appendix K).
Break: (40 minutes)
Second half: (40 minutes)
3. More time will be required for group work
4. Each client will articulate 4 accomplishments of which they are proud, talk about
56 3 passions and identified values utilizing handout “What is a Value?” (Appendix
K).
5. This time will be used for last questions, clarifications, etc.
(Modified from materials developed by Milt Tipperman, M.A., 2005)
57 Session 8
(Individual Session)
Topic: Online Job Searching
Time: 2 hours
Goal: The Clients will be exposed to job search exploration, and navigate online
websites.
Behavioral Objectives:
•
At the end of the session the clients will be able to navigate the Occupational
Information Network (O*NET) website and research 4 occupations.
•
The clients will use a computer to practice online searching for job descriptions.
•
The clients will navigate 3 online websites for going back to school.
Materials:
1. Career websites handout: Appendix L
Sequence of activities:
First half: (30 minutes)
1. The career counselors will talk about the goals and objectives for this session and
distribute the handout “Career Websites” (Appendix L).
2. Participants will go to a computer and navigate O*NET for the purpose of
researching 4 occupations of their interest.
Break: (30 minutes)
Second half: (60 minutes)
3. Then, clients will continue using the computer to search online websites provided
on the handout for exploration, description of jobs and navigate online websites.
58 4. The clients will navigate at least 3 online websites for going back to school.
59 CHAPTER FIVE: Program Evaluation
Summary of the Program Evaluation
Chapters three and four from this project were given to three professionals in the
field in order to get an outside opinion of the quality and appropriateness of the program.
The evaluators provided valuable feedback in regards to the program. They evaluated
utility, structure and quality of the program. The following questions were given to the
field evaluators and later summarized:
1. How likely will the program be able to assist divorced Latina mothers whom are
ready for career development?
2. To what extent does the program contain activities that introduce the clients to
resources that will help them to connect to the larger community?
3. To what extent does the program contain activities that teach members of this
population the skills necessary to be successful?
4. To what degree will the program goals be effective in assisting the focus
population?
5. How appropriate are the assessments for this program?
6. What areas of the program do you see would truly work?
7. What suggestions do you have to improve this program?
8. What additional materials could be used in assisting the focus population?
Evaluator #1:
The first evaluator has a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Guidance,
PPS Credential, PSA Counseling Credential and a Career Development Counseling
Certificate Program. She has done general counseling internship at Reseda/Monroe High
60 Schools, San Fernando Middle School, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Trade
Technical College and Los Angeles Mission College. Her experience and career
background made her a good candidate as an evaluator for this career program. Her
experience working with the population made her a good candidate as an evaluator for
this career program.
Evaluator #2:
The second evaluator is a National Certified Counselor with a Master’s degree in
Counseling. She currently works as an Assistant Director in the Career Center at
California State University, Northridge. Her work with a wide variety of populations
made her a good candidate as an evaluator for this career program.
Evaluator #3:
The third evaluator has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of
California Los Angeles. She has a Master of Science degree in Counseling,
specialization in Career Counseling and currently works at Western University of Health
Sciences as a University Recruiter. Her experience in psychology and career background
made her a great candidate as an evaluator for this career program.
Question #1: How likely will the program be able to assist divorced Latina mothers
whom are ready for career development?
All the evaluators believe this program will be highly effective and likely to assist
divorced Latina mothers because it targets a certain population with specific
characteristics. Furthermore, Evaluator #3 states that the pre-career development, career
development, and post-career development sections of the program should alleviate some
of the stress of entering the world of work. There is a large amount of support given to
61 this group to help ensure success in the program (childcare, personal counseling, selfexploration, and career skills). The career program itself will allow a group that has
historically put others’ needs before their own an opportunity to explore their own
interests and values.
Question #2: To what extent does the program contain activities that introduce the clients
to resources that will help them connect to the larger community?
The three evaluators express that the program offers a variety of activities that
will help connect the target population with the larger community (i.e., the workforce).
The program contains eight activities that introduce clients to resources such as
identifying: values, interests, and skills, informational interviews that will facilitate the
person to find a job, or focus on a specific occupation. The Career Orientation Placement
& Evaluation Survey (COPES) (Knapp & Knapp-Lee, 1995) will empower the women in
this group to use words to describe themselves in ways they may have not considered
previously; it will grant this population a new vocabulary, which they can then access for
their career development. Whereas the Occupational Interests Card Sort (Knowdell,
2002) assessment will offer occupational options the clients may have not heard of or
been aware of prior to this program. As this group has a tendency to lack support to
explore these areas, this program will provide a safe space to be introspective and offer
preparation for their future.
Furthermore, Evaluator #2 recommends some practical contact with employers
through a guest speaker so that participants can better understand hiring trends and
workplace expectations. This evaluator believes that providing this access in the safe
setting of the group may allow the participants to feel comfortable asking questions about
62 employer expectations and greater world-of-work insights.
Question #3: To what extent does the program contain activities that teach members of
this population the skills necessary to be successful?
The evaluators confirm that the activities that are included in this program would
provide the clients with the necessary skills and tools they will need to successfully enter
the workforce. The post-career development portion of this program will grant the clients
the necessary job-search skills to be successful in their job search. In addition, evaluator
number two believes that the program’s emphasis on self-discovery, and the time that
will be spent on teaching trait and factor theory, should allow the participants to
understand what factors they should keep in mind when conducting a job search. There
will be a good amount of time spent teaching career exploration through informational
interviewing and introducing online resources to ensure that the participants will know
how to conduct an effective job search.
Question #4: To what degree will the program goals be effective in assisting the focus
population?
All the evaluators recognize that the program’s goals are appropriate and
reasonable in assisting these women to become independent and self-sufficient where
they do not have to depend on anybody else but themselves. The goals for the first
session (intake and interview) are very important to help the potential client understand
what the program is seeking to accomplish and understand how they will benefit from the
knowledge and tools they receive during the course of the program.
Although, Evaluator #2 recognizes that the program would meet initial job
Identification and job search needs for this population. She has some minor concerns that
63 issues of cultural identity/acculturation (work identify), balancing mothering and working
may need to be addressed from a career counseling perspective for most of the group
members.
Question #5: How appropriate are the assessments for this program?
The evaluators agree that the assessments have been appropriately selected for
this group to adjust for level of education and experience while being universal enough to
work with a diverse client group. These assessments should empower them to make the
best career/job choices for them on their way to their new independence. Also, Evaluator
#2 recommends that instead of doing two interest inventories (Card Sort and COPS-P),
that the facilitator of the program might include a strengths identification assessment to
assist with confidence-building and self-efficacy.
Question #6: What areas of the program do you see would truly work?
Evaluator #1 states that self-esteem, and self-efficacy would work because these
two areas are important in taking charge of one’s life and future.
Evaluator #2 states that most of the program should work well. Good detail and
planning for every session from intake through last session. This should allow the
program to be very adaptable for potential facilitators.
Evaluator #3 thinks this is a wonderful program that has a lot of potential to be
effective and successful. The need for support (financial and emotional) is fully
addressed in all three sections of this program (pre-, current-, and post-career
development stages). Session three (with the identification of the barriers) is a great way
for clients to better understand and eventually cope with their situation. I also thought the
magazine project would be effective as it has both introspective and fun qualities.
64 Question #7: What suggestions do you have to improve this program?
Evaluator #1 claims that this program seems to accomplish what it intends to do.
Evaluator #2 states that the program looks impressive. The facilitator may need
to spend more time helping participants integrate self-knowledge with world-of-work
information. This could be done through a reflection on decision-making styles or simply
offering more opportunity for answering questions like, “How does information or
knowledge relate to the decisions you are making about work?”. It is a really good idea
to explore barriers in some of the sessions, but she suggests also exploring strengths in
managing their goals as a way to assist with self-efficacy and confidence.
Evaluator #3 considers that a suggestion to improve this program is to seek a
career counselor or facilitator that is aware and culturally sensitive to work with this
population (possibly be fluent in Spanish language as well). He or she must understand
the collectivistic nature of the Latino/a culture as a way to help understand the clients’
values. While this could be difficult to control for, it would be helpful to seek out
facilitators that have experience working with this population, even if he or she has
worked with this group in a different capacity. As the career counselor will be the “role
model” for this population, it should be an individual the group can potentially relate to.
Another suggestion would be to involve resources to help the clients gain more
knowledge of available occupations. If a client has never heard of an occupation (that is
in an occupational interest card sort), she may immediately disregard that option. If the
client has a means to gather research on their own or to pair the card sort with a copy of
the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012) to
refer to, they may be more equipped to accurately sort the cards.
65 Question #8: What additional materials could be used in assisting the focus population?
Evaluator #1 states that the author should integrate more technology into the
program to assist the focus population.
Evaluator #2 considers that employer contact and a strengths assessment might
enhance the programs ability to accomplish its goals. All other materials seem highly
appropriate.
Evaluator #3 believes that it may be helpful and empowering to use a strengthsbased approach and/or assessment such as the StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Rath).
Parting Comments
The author wants to thank all the evaluators for taking the time to read and
evaluate this project. She appreciates the value and admiration given towards this project
as well as their feedback and recommendations. In regards to the recommendation made
by Evaluator #2 on question two about practical contact with employers in order to allow
the participants to feel comfortable asking questions. The author thinks that the
informational interview takes care of these concerns but that author also suggests that
when the program becomes implemented another session can be added for guest
speakers. To continue, Evaluator #2 has minor concerns about issues of cultural identity,
acculturation, balancing mothering, etc. The author believes that by recommending
female Latinas with experience working with this population as facilitators/career
counselors in charge of the program these and other concerns will be address.
Also, Evaluator #2 recommends a strengths identification assessment.
Unfortunately, it is not recommended to use strengths with this population because there
66 is no proof that they will work for this population. The author definitely agrees with
Evaluator #3 and the need for a few copies of the Occupational Outlook Handbook
(OOH) to research an occupation, find information or to simply have a better
understanding of an occupation/s that they are not familiar with. If the financial situation
improves in the future more technology and computer programs should be more
technology should definitely be implemented into the program as suggested by the
evaluators.
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74 Appendix A
Interview Questions and Score Sheet
Personal Observation (Circle Y/N):
1. Was the participant on time? (Y or N)
2. Was she presentable? (Y or N)
3. Did she seem alert, attentive and focus? (Y or N)
4. Did she seem motivated? (Y or N)
Interview Questions (Rate response 1-5 if applicable):
1. Please introduce yourself, tell us something about you and where you come from?
2. If you feel comfortable tell us about your divorce experience?
3. What kind of assistance are you receiving?
4. Do you have a social support?
5. What about your family? Are they part of your social support?
6. Do you have children? How many? Do you have childcare?
7. How do you feel about your new role?
8. What are your immediate needs or worries?
9. Can you commit to this program from beginning to end? If yes, please explain?
10. Do you have housing?
11. Do you have transportation to the sessions?
12. Are you receiving or have you received any type of counseling before? If yes,
explain?
Counselors Notes:
75 Does the participant qualify as a candidate? (Y or N) Total Score:
76 Appendix B
Intake Handout
Directions: Please fill out the information below completely. Your information is
confidential and will only be used for background information and to further help the
career counseling process.
Identification Information :
Last name, First name, Middle Initial:
Address: Street/City/Zip Code:
Email
Home Number:
Cell Number:
Emergency Contact/Number:
Personal History:
Highest level of education/Year completed:
If applicable, any vocational schooling, skills or training?
If applicable, Employment History/Years in Position:
1.
2.
3.
What were you in charge of as a housewife? Duties? Responsibilities?
77 What do you want to gain from this program?
Is there anything else that you want us to know about you?
Family History:
Mother’s highest level of education:
Current Employment:
Employment History/Years in Position:
1.
2.
3.
Father’s highest level of education:
Current Employment:
Employment History/Years in Position:
1.
2.
3.
78 Appendix C
Occupations Handout
Instructions: There is no right or wrong answer. Write down the occupations in the
proper box. Don’t take a long time!
1.
Probably
Interested
2.
3.
4.
1.
Definitely
Interested
2.
3.
4.
1.
Probably
Not
Interested
2.
3.
4.
1.
Definitely
Not
Interested
2.
3.
4.
1.
Indifferent
2.
3.
4.
Adapted from: Occupational Interests Card Sort - (2002 by Richard L. Knowdell, MS,
NCCC CAREER RESEARCH & TESTING, INC P.O. Box 611930, San Jose,
CA 95161 USA).
79 Appendix D
Top 5 Occupations of Interest Handout
Instructions: Fill out your top 5 occupations below using the following website,
www.wvoc.net.
1.
Notes:
2.
Notes:
3.
Notes:
4.
Notes:
5.
Notes:
What do these occupations have in common?
80 Appendix E
Self-Discovery Handout
Directions: Answer the following questions.
1. What are 2 interests, 2 attributes you currently have?
2. What are 2 barriers that prevent you from obtaining your dream occupation?
3. To what degree does the reflection show who you are right now?
4. What are 3 personal goals you have set for yourself in the program?
5. Anything else you have learned about yourself?
Adapter from: Lisa Costas, Ph.D., (2005) University of South Florida, Counselor
Education Program, EDU 162, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33620,
voice (818) 974-5780.
81 Appendix F
What is an Informational Interview?
Instructions: Use this paper to take notes on the video.
Notes:
82 Appendix G
Informational Interview Questions Handout
Instructions: Write down 7 main questions and at least 3 additional questions below.
Examples:
a) “What do you like about your job?”
b) “What do you dislike about your job?”
Main Questions:
Question #1:
Question #2:
Question #3:
Question #4:
Question #5:
Question #6:
83 Question #7:
Additional Questions
Question #1:
Question #2:
Question #3:
84 Appendix H
Work you are Interested in Doing Handout
Directions: Follow instructions and fill out the information below.
Write down 3 occupations
1.
2.
3.
Write down 5 interests
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify and describe your dream occupation and future plans.
1.
Write down 3 barriers that prevent you from pursuing this occupation.
Barrier #1
How to overcome this barrier?
85 Barrier #2
How to overcome this barrier?
Barrier #3
How to overcome this barrier?
86 Appendix I
Skills Worksheet
Directions: Write down 5 skills then describe how you use that skill in your daily life.
Skill #1:
Describe:
Skill #2:
Describe:
Skill #3:
Describe:
Skill #4:
Describe:
Skill #5:
Describe:
87 Appendix J
Our Dream Company
Company’s Name:
88 Appendix K
What is a Value? Worksheet
Instructions: Identify 3 values from COPES and 3 values from personal experiences.
COPES Values
1.
2.
3.
Personal Experiences Values
1.
2.
3.
Instructions: List and describe 4 accomplishments you are proud of. Number
accomplishments 1 through 4. Explain why you are proud of each. (Accomplishment=
An activity or goal you completed).
1.
2.
89 3.
4.
Instructions: List and describe 3 passions. (Passion= An activity that you get excited
about).
1.
2.
3.
Adapted from: Milt Tipperman, M.A., training consultant, 6035 Elmer Derr, Road,
Frederick, Maryland 21703, (301) 698-0128, modified.
90 Appendix L
Career Websites Handout
Occupational Information Network (O*NET):
Descriptions and information about career exploration and job analysis –
http://online.onetcenter.org
California Occupational Guides: Information includes job duties, working conditions,
wages, benefits, employment outlook, entrance requirements and training –
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Description and information on occupations in the
US – www.bls.gov/oco/
Salary Information: Salary information, self-assessments and negotiation tips –
www.salary.com and information on salary, career advice or scholarship information –
www.acinet.org.
Going Back To School:
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov: Information on how to receive money while attending college.
www.californiacolleges.edu: Information about community colleges.
http://www.calstate.edu/explore/: Information on the California state schools system.
www.collegesource.org: Find information about different schools and which have what
majors.
www.collegeboard.com: Receive money for private institutions.
91