EDP 666
Psychology of Career Counseling
Spring Semester 2007
Tuesdays 9:30-12:00
Dickey Hall 353

Instructor: Keisha Love, Ph. D.
Office Location: 241 Dickey Hall
Phone: 859-257-8273
Office Hours: Thursday 9:00-11:00 or by appointment
Email address Keisha.Love@uky.edu (best way to reach me)

Course Description and Instructional Methods
This course is designed to introduce students to the art of career counseling. This course covers theories of career counseling, career assessments, and applied concepts and methodologies of career counseling. Class time will consist of a combination of lecture, discussion, presentations, guest speakers, small group work, experiential activities and/or various other methods of delivery. Information disseminated in class is designed to provide an overview of material contained in the course textbook and articles. Students are responsible for all reading assignments even though they may not be directly covered in class.

Course Objectives

  1. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of prevalent theories of career/vocational choice and development.
  2. Students will acquire knowledge of career development as it applies to diverse populations.
  3. Students will be able to administer and interpret career assessments.
  4. Students will learn applied methodologies of career counseling (e.g. interventions and skills).

Required Text
Zunker, V. (2006). Career Counseling: A Holistic Approach. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/
     Cole. ISBN: 0-534-64017-6.

Recommended Text:
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological   
     Association. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Publishing.

 

Testing Requirements
This course requires the completion of two career assessments, the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which can be completed through the UK Counseling and Testing Center. The costs of the assessments are free and can be completed in two ways. You may schedule an individual assessment session with Dr. Sandra Lybarger (257-8701), which will consist of two appointments: the intake/assessment session and the results/interpretation session, or, you may attend a career counseling group lecture session and then complete a follow-up results/interpretation session with Dr. Sandra Lybarger.

Course Requirements
Each assignment is designed to facilitate your understanding and knowledge of different aspects of career development theory, counseling, and/or intervention.

  1. Brief Research Paper: This assignment provides students an opportunity to examine research and issues related to career development and/or career counseling. As this assignment is a research paper, a majority of your references must come from scholarly journals (e.g. Career Development Quarterly; Journal of Career Assessment; Journal of Career Development; Journal of Vocational Behavior), books, and/or newspapers etc. You may use internet citations sparingly. You may work alone or in groups of 2 if you choose. Students will present this information in a “poster session” format (like at conventions or conferences) and provide a 5-7 page paper relevant to their investigated topic (your title page and references do not count towards the 5-7 page requirement). Your paper must include a tile page, abstract, introduction, research questions or hypotheses, summary of findings or discussion, and implications for career counselors. APA style is required. Students will turn in their typed papers the day of their presentation. Come prepared to answer questions regarding your topic.
  2. You may choose to answer a question related to career counseling and development, or simply research a general topic. Be as creative as you like when selecting your topic, but be sure not to select something too broad; your paper must be 5-7 pages. Your paper will be graded on the content of the material and the quality of writing.

    Sample Questions: What career interventions are effective with prison inmates? What theories of career counseling work best with Latino (a) clients? How have on-site daycares in the workplace affected workplace productivity? What affect do flextime schedules or reduced work weeks have on job satisfaction and family satisfaction among salaried workers?

    Guidelines for the Presentation: The information from your paper will be displayed on a poster board. You may provide handouts for the class at your own discretion. Your poster must contain at least the following: a. Title; b. Abstract; c. Introduction; d. Research question(s) or hypotheses; e. Discussion; f. Implications or recommendations for career counselors.
  3. Job Profile: This assignment requires you to provide a written description of an occupation, and if done correctly, will acquaint you with locating and accessing information about various careers. Your paper must be less than 6 pages (APA format is not necessary, but use headings). You may choose any career that you wish. The following information should serve as a minimum guideline of what to include in the profile:

    1. Interests required (Holland Code/Myers Briggs Type)
    2. Skills, education, training required
    3. Geographic distribution and local availability
    4. Potential biases/barriers/obstacles
    5. Working conditions and advancement information
    6. Salary and benefits
    7. Professional associations
    8. Other information you find regarding the job
    9. NOTE: The information that you retrieve must come from respected and documented sources, which means you will need to provide a reference pager in APA style at the end of your paper. Much of the information that you find may be in online publications by the US government, as well as other online sources. It is fine to use online sources so long as your site is documented and cited.

  4. Career Assessments: Students must complete the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator through the UK Counseling and Testing Center. You must present a copy of your test results on the assigned due date as proof of completion. This assignment will give students an opportunity to personally experience two commonly used career assessments and increase students’ knowledge and understanding the of the assessments.

  5. Cover Letter and Vita/Resume: Students will submit their own cover letters and vitas or resumes. This assignment will not only give students a workable copy of their cover letter and vita/resume, but will also help students learn the proper way to construct said materials.
Grading (600 total points) Point Value
Research Paper and Presentation 100
Job Profile 100
Career Assessment 100 (50 pts each)
Cover Letter and Vita/Resume 100 (50 pts each)
Midterm Exam 100
Final Examination 100
   
Your grade will be based on the following scale:
Letter Total Points
A 90% or higher
B 80% to 89%
C 70% to 79%
E 69% or below
   
No extra credit will be given in this course. If you are having difficulty in this class, you should speak with the professor for assistance. An "I" will be given only under exceptional circumstances (as decided by the instructor) and not just on the basis of work that has not been completed

Late Work
Late work will be assessed a penalty of 10% of the final grade each day that the assignment is late.

Attendance
Students are expected to attend class weekly and participate fully. Excused absences, which include absences due to illness of the student, illness of an immediate family member, death of a family member, religious holiday, representation of UK in an official capacity, and/or other compelling circumstances beyond students’ control will be permitted. Students must notify the instructor of the absence as soon as possible. Students are responsible for obtaining information missed during class.



Academic Honesty
It is the philosophy of the University of Kentucky that academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with university regulations and procedures. In addition to receiving a failing grade in the course, discipline may also include suspension, or other sanctions from the university.

Accommodations
If you are a student with a disability, you must obtain the appropriate certification and documentation through the Disability Resource Center. More information can be obtained at http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/DisabilityResourceCenter. Accommodations will not be granted until the proper documentation is forwarded to the professor.

 

Semester Schedule
Date
Readings Due/Class Topics
Assignment
Due
1/16/07

Course Overview. Introduction to Career Counseling

 
1/23/07

Trait & Factor Oriented Theories
Person-Environment Correspondence/Holland’s Theory

 
1/30/07

Developmental Theories
Super’s Life Span, Life-Space Approach & Gottfredson’s Theory

 
2/6/07

Behavioral Theories
Krumboltz Learning Theory & Social Cognitive Theory

 
2/13/07

Career Counseling Interviews

 
2/20/07

Cover letters, resumes/vitas, and Interviewing

Research topics (groups assignments) due
2/27/07

Career Counseling in Institutions of Higher Education & Work in our Lives

  • Book Reading: Zunker Ch. 18 (out of 7th ed.)…posted on the online library reserve system
  • Work in Our Lives
  • Midterm exam review
 
3/6/07 Midterm Exam  
3/13/07 Spring Vacation Cover letter & resume/vita due
3/20/07 Job profile presentations

Job Profiles due

3/27/07

Career Assessments

SII and MBTI due (bring to class)
4/3/07

Ethical Career Counselors

  • (9:30- 10:30) Book Reading: Zunker Ch. 9 (out of the 7th ed.)…posted on the online library reserve system
  • Being an Ethical Career Counselor (ppt)
  • (10:45-12:00) Visit to the Career Center (Dr. Diane Kohler)
 
4/10/07

Minority Group Issues

 
4/17/07

Minority Group Issues
(Individuals with Disabilities & Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Clients)

 
4/24/07

Poster presentations on research topics
(course evaluations)

Research papers due
5/1/07

Final Exam

 
 

Updated on April 2, 2007 14:06