Assessing Ellenore Flood's Roles and Values to Focus Her Career Shopping

Abstract

Using Career-Development Assessment and Counseling model (C-DAC; Super, 1983; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996) to guide my work, would administer Salience Inventory (SI; Super & Nevill, 1985a) and Values Scale (VS; Super & Nevill, 1985b) in natural course of career counseling with Ellenore Flood. The C-DAC model involves four steps beginning with a preview of client's record and an initial interview. A depth-view examines career choice readiness and adaptability, interests, and values. Data assessment reviews information gathered, and counseling explores what data signify for client. Each of these steps is considered, in turn, relative to how would proceed with Ellenore, focusing specifically on her SI and VS results. PREVIEW From life-span, life-space counseling perspective, Ellenore's opening statement reveals her blueprint for and prototypical way of moving in new situations (Super et al., 1996, p. 163). In initial interview she asks counselor to [h]elp me sort out of things I've got going right now-job possibilities, making decisions, Bright and multipotentialed, Ellenore seeks help with making decisions, not to make a decision. note this subtle difference. Ellenore has an indecisive nature rather than a problem of being undecided. Three previous counseling attempts, anxiety over making the right choice, confusion about future, and adviceseeking from millions of people depict Ellenore as uneasy about making choices and reliant on others for focusing. She remains undecided despite, or perhaps because of, advice and support at her disposal. Knowing more about how she made past decisions such as teaching in London versus Taiwan, and her involvement in leadership roles (e.g., drama program director and speech club supervisor) might clarify how she reaches a decision. In my preview and throughout counseling with Ellenore, would be aware of potential cultural identity concerns as recommended in an elaboration of C-DAC model (Hartung et al., 1998). For example, Ellenore's connection to family and others sensitizes me to interpersonal issues in her Her recently ended romantic relationship prompted her current decisional dilemma and her need, in her counselor's words, to move on with her own life. Concurrently, Ellenore's words all of things rve [italics added] got going right now depict her as constructor of her current situation. Such issues raise questions about Ellenore's cultural value orientation in terms of individualism-collectivism (Triandis, 1995). Does she emphasize family integrity and group goals (collectivism) or attend more to her own aspirations and personal goals (individualism) in making decisions and solving problems? would assess this more formally using I am method (Kuhn & McPartland, 1954; Triandis, McCusker, & Hui, 1990) or INDCOL Scale (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, & Gelfand, 1995). In initial interview, look for clues about importance of work relative to other life roles. Ellenore's presenting problem centers on four career options reflecting her response to leaving a home and family role (i.e., ending a romantic relationship). Her history reveals high work role salience, having paid her way through college and having worked successfully in several positions. Her student role salience seems high and she says I like school. like learning. Evidence exists for high career salience, suggesting that further assessment and counseling will be meaningful. Ellenore may have high home and family role salience, given her connection to family, whom she has consulted for advice. Her ended relationship may temper this, however. Ellenore's many leisure activities seem less important to her. Her SI results will provide precise role salience information, indicating how much she participates in, commits to, and expects to realize values through roles in five life domains: study, work, community, home, and leisure. …