The Importance Of Career Counseling

Throughout our lives as human beings, the concept of change is an inevitable process which we are forced to experience in different areas at some point whether biological, cognitive, social, psychological, environmental and structural among others. As with the human body, likewise the field of career counseling which is currently undergoing changes attributable to factors including globalization, population diversity, increased technological innovations and changing job roles. “Managing a global career now means fostering global relationships, remaining patient and persistent , acquiring local language skills and cultural sensitivity, and migrating to where the work is” (Feller, Russell and Whichard, 2005, p. 54).

Undoubtedly, the concept

Cultural competency plays a vital role in one becoming multicultural competent. Zunker 2012 discussed five characteristics for one becoming a culturally competent counselor. The first is one developing “an ability to recognize which values and assumptions the counselor holds regarding the desirability or undesirability of human behavior” (Zunker, 2012, p. 215). This will allow a counselor to reflect and think about how his/her assumptions will affect the client. Consequently, a counselor must also become aware of the impact of different views and environmental factors that have been developed in the client’s cultural context. The second characteristic focuses on the “awareness of the generic characteristics of counseling that cut across many schools of counseling theory” (Zunker, 2012, p. 215). Self-awareness is looked at as the counselor’s ability to recognize any prejudice that would inhibit one’s ability to empathize with people of color (Zunker, 2012). One has to develop an appreciation and acceptance for how the human behavior is shaped by a variety of cultural variables. In addition, a counselor has to have a personal awareness of his/her cultural background as this ultimately sways one’s thinking and behaving. Similarly, one has to gain ample knowledge of culture specific factors such as language

Theme one recognizes crossing cultural as a profoundly human experience as multicultural counseling entails issues of the heart and mind (Kiselica, 2005). Within this theme, counselors recognize that as a result of their personal and professional experiences gained from intersecting cultural boundaries that culture affects the psychological health and the counseling process in general (Kiselica, 2005). Theme two focuses on advocacy counseling as an integral part of multicultural counseling. Emphasis is placed on social responsibility and activism and looks at the issue of white privilege and its potential impact on multicultural counseling