Advanced Career Counseling in Professional Practice

PREREQUISITE: Recommended but not required: Masters Level Career Counseling Course

This course provides an in-depth exploration of advanced career counseling and career life span development, and professional career counseling practice applications. Students will critically examine the appropriate utilization of major theories and strategies to career development and decision-making, review empirical research on career interventions, and apply evidence-based strategies in diverse career counseling contexts. Students will integrate advanced assessment tools, and examine how technological, economic, and societal factors shape career development. Emphasis is placed on multicultural perspectives and the integration of mental health and career concerns. Students will also develop advanced career counseling skills through experiential learning, case studies, and applied projects. Students will also strengthen their career counseling abilities to work effectively with clients across the lifespan in educational, clinical, and organizational settings.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Critically evaluating current research in advanced career development and counseling, applying findings to modern interventions.
• Selecting, administering and interpreting career assessment tools, integrating assessment results into case conceptualization and intervention planning.
• Applying culturally responsive strategies that address issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, and other intersecting identities in career counseling.
• Identifying and addressing the intersections between career development and personal/mental health concerns, applying holistic approaches to client care.
• Evaluating the effects of technology, globalization, and labor market changes on career development, with attention to equity and access.
• Applying the career counseling specific ethical standards in the use of assessments, interventions, and program planning.
• Developing complex case formulations that integrate theoretical perspectives, assessment data, client context, and research evidence.
• Designing and implementing advocacy initiatives or programs that promote equity, access, and positive systemic changes in career development.
• Critically analyzing and applying advanced career development theories and models, integrating developmental and multicultural perspectives.
• Designing and implementing evidence-based career counseling interventions that address complex client needs across the lifespan.
• Evaluating the mental health and social impact of unemployment and underemployment on career development and counseling practices.
• Evaluating and applying advanced career decision-making theories and models that influence client needs across workplace adjustment and change.
• Demonstrating advanced knowledge and skills consistent with the professional identity of a career counselor, including reflective practice and ongoing professional development.
• Demonstrating how artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to research, analyze and synthesize information in the Career Counseling field of practice.
• Evaluating and integrating the implications of poverty and socioeconomics in assisting clients in career counseling practice.

ACQUIRED SKILLS:

• Assessment Selection and Analysis
• Evaluation and Planning Skills
• Application and Facilitation Skills