Throughout this course, you have been introduced to tools to assist clients and students with identifying options for meaningful and desirable work. These tools include theories, assessments, and job-seeking strategies to facilitate self-exploration, increase career knowledge, and enhance career decision-making. In this final project, you will synthesize what you have learned by developing a career plan to support a client or student’s career development. To complete the project, you will first develop a case study illustrating a fictional client or student with career development needs. You will then apply the Hill and O’Brien (1999) Helping Skills Model to address the needs of this fictional client or student. The Helping Skill Model is outlined in the case study, Darren: The Case of the Unemployed Runaway, located in the Week 10 Learning Resources.
To Prepare:
- Consider the learning resources presented throughout the course. If necessary, for your action plan, review the resume and interviewing resources presented in the Week 11 resources as well. Additional career resources can be found on the Walden University Career Services website (https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservices/home).
- Access the Hill and O’Brien (1999) Helping Skills Model located in the Week 10 Learning Resources.
- Access the Career Plan template located in the Week 10 Learning Resources.
In 5–6 pages, use the Hill and O’Brien (1999) Helping Skills Model to describe the strategies/interventions that you would use to support a client’s/student’s life work plan. The Helping Skills Model is outlined in the case study, Darren( https://class.content.laureate.net/9c592372bb596bc46dc9b2d83671d4ec.pdf): The Case of the Unemployed Runaway. It is located in the Week 10 Learning Resources.
- First, develop a case study to use for this Application Assignment. Do not use “Darren” from the resources. In your case study, you should:
- Briefly describe your client’s/student’s presenting problem or career concern, and
- Relevant sociocultural factors that influence the case.
- Next, following the Hill and O’Brien (1999) model,
- describe the activities that you would engage in at Stage One of your career plan (Exploration, pp. 231–232).
- What techniques would you use to develop rapport, express empathy, and encourage your client/student to “tell his or her story?”
- How would you broach the role of sociocultural factors in your client’s/student’s career story?
- For the second stage, Insight (p. 232), identify the areas that you would focus on to gain a deeper meaning and understanding of your client’s/student’s situation.
- How would you identify his or her interests, abilities, and strengths?
- What career assessments and/or computer-assisted programs might be of use?
- What changes in the world-of-work might be relevant?
- For the Action stage (p. 232), identify
- The plans you would develop
- How you would evaluate them, and
- What follow up activity you would do with your client.
Be sure to include your advocacy statement from your Week 7 Reflection Paper (this will be messaged to you privately), and how you might advocate with or on behalf of your client or student.
Include anything else that you would like to add to further develop the plan.