My Life, My Style, My Counseling Framework

My counseling path at this point has involved private practice. As well, in the near future I am anticipating continuing on in the private sector. As a result of experience and education I have a connected with a constructivist modality of counseling. This modality assert that individuals create their own reality based on their understanding of, and participation, in their previous experience. As well it poses that clients’ whole environment, and the interactions within it, influence behavior. In turn the theory of this model asserts that all their avenues will set a foundation for the career client to create a desired story or future (Miller, 2004 p. 3). As, Niles and Harris-Bowlesbey, indicate career counseling greatly follows the principles of normal counseling because it is like a specialty within counseling (2009, p. 242). Logically, I would use continue to use this model when helping clients with career matters. In terms of career counseling this model does recognize the meaning a client gives to the influences of peers, family, education, employment opportunities on their career goals are pertinent to that client’s personal reality. Finally, in solution-focused counseling it is essential for both client and counselor to shift the main attention away from problems, and towards possibilities and hope (Miller, 2004, p.12). Consequently, the model makes the career client active participants in their own career development.

My framework of career would be a three-phase model similar to the beginning, activation, and completion model indicated by Niles-Bowlebey (2009, p. 250). In the first phase I would gather information about the client, determine their initial goals and start building a trusting collaborative relationsh...

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... so that they can quickly establish goals that are meaningful to them from which they can examine the resources provided by a career practitioner. Consequently an additional benefit of solution-focused counseling is that clients can also learn to apply solution-focused thinking to future concerns, decisions and relevant information. Such outcomes are particularly helpful when many clients only come to counseling for one session.

Works Cited

Miller, J. (2004). Building a solution-focused strategy into career counseling. Informally published manuscript, School of Health Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/UCResearchProfile/Researcher.aspx?researcherid Niles, S. & Bowlsbey, J. (2009). Career development interventions in the 21st century. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill/Pearson.