Description
Unit 6: Diverse Populations and Military Personnel
Introduction
In this unit you will explore current employment trends affecting older workers and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender) issues. In addition, you will explore the transitioning of military personnel returning to civilian life.
Objectives
To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:
- Compare the career issues affecting military personnel returning to civilian life to those not in the military and discuss strategies for advocating for their career development.
- Describe challenges LGBT individuals may encounter in a career setting, and discuss possible strategies counselors can use to work with and advocate for these clients.
- Learning Activities
Unit 6 Study 1: Studies Readings
Use your Career Counseling text to read the following:
- Chapter 11, “Career Counseling for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Clients,” pages 263–279.
Use the Capella library to complete the following:
- Clemens, E. V., & Milsom, A. S. (2008). Enlisted service members’ transition into the civilian world of work: A cognitive information processing approach. Career Development Quarterly, 56(3), 246–256.
Choose one article to read from the following list and find one additional article to read on LGBT issues:
- Blosnich, J. R., Marsiglio, M. C., Gao, S., Shipherd, J. C., Kauth, M., Brown, G. R., & Fine, M. J. (2016). Mental health of transgender veterans in US states with and without discrimination and hate crime legal protection. American Journal of Public Health, 106(3), 534–540.
- Ghosh, A., & Fouad, N. A. (2015). Career transitions of student veterans. Journal of Career Assessment, 24(1), 99–111.
- Ng, E. S. W., Schweitzer, L., & Lyons, S. T. (2012). Anticipated discrimination and a career choice in nonprofit: A study of early career lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered (LGBT) job seekers. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 32(4), 332–352.
- Rausch, M. A. (2014). Contextual career counseling for transitioning military veterans. Journal of Employment Counseling, 51(2), 89–96.
Use the Career Center on Campus to complete the following activities:
- In this unit, complete your Career Exploration Workbook—the Looking Outward, Putting it all Together, and Career Workspace sections—pages 10–16. In these sections you will research 2–3 job titles you identified on job search sites, including the education and training needed, salaries, and employment trends. You will use your completed workbook to write your paper in Unit 9. You should start this paper early to allow time for you to evaluate the assessments.
Informational Interview Preparation
For this activity, identify and contact a local counselor who practices in your specialization area, and request an informational interview. Submit the name, contact information, and specialization of the person you are interviewing in this discussion. You will need to schedule your interview so it can be completed by the end of Unit 7. When contacting your chosen counselor, be sure to explain the intent of the interview and let him or her know that you will keep your interview short (30–60 minutes). You may want to provide your interview questions to your interviewee ahead of time to help him or her prepare for the meeting.
In the informational interview you will discuss how the counselor integrates career counseling into personal counseling and what assessments or inventories he or she uses in practice. You will post a summary and reflection of your informational interview in a Unit 8 discussion. Review the Unit 8 discussion to help you structure your interview questions. If you would like, you can add additional interview questions to this discussion to get feedback from your peers and instructor. If you don’t find someone to interview this week, notify your instructor with the relevant information when you identify someone.
Unit 6 Discussion 2: 1 page needed with minimum of 250 words and 2 references.
Military Personnel Returning to Workforce
Considering the traumatic effects of war on men, women, and children, compare the career issues affecting military personnel returning to civilian life to those who have not been in the military. This situation can affect all family members, including children in school, so please include partners and children in this discussion as it relates to career development. As part of your post, include your strategies for advocating for these clients’ career and educational development.
Unit 6 Discussion 3: 1 page needed with minimum of 250 words and 2 references.
Biases and Assumptions
Using what you learned from your readings, describe challenges LGBT individuals may encounter in a career setting and discuss possible strategies counselors can use to work with and advocate for these clients. What are some of the continued issues that this population faces in society? In your post, include strategies for counselors to take if biases and assumptions exist that could negatively impact the counseling process.