Occupational Counseling Report Analysis: Psychology Assignment

This report analyzes an occupational counseling assignment focusing on the study titled “Career barriers and coping efficacy among Native American students.” The research examined the relationship between career barriers and college outcome expectations, using a sample of Native American students. The study found that lower perceived social status and experiences of personal and systematic classism correlated with lower college outcome expectations. The research emphasized the importance of counselors fostering self-efficacy, empowerment, and resilience, and utilizing interventions to enhance efficacy. The paper suggests that counselors should assess and address environmental barriers, utilizing ecological and culturally appropriate career counseling models. The report also discusses the need to acknowledge cultural barriers and build on cultural strengths. The study recommends interventions, such as group programs with Native American role models, to improve coping abilities and address discrimination. The findings highlight the significance of addressing systemic barriers and promoting coping mechanisms within the Native American student population.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY: OCCUPATIONAL COUNSELING
PSYCHOLOGY: OCCUPATIONAL COUNSELING
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

1PSYCHOLOGY: OCCUPATIONAL COUNSELING
Thompson, M. N. (2013). Career barriers and coping efficacy among Native American
students. Journal of Career Assessment, 21(2), 311-325.
The respective article “Career barriers and coping efficacy among Native American
students” examines the relationship between career barriers and college outcome expectations by
taking a sample population of approximately 121 Native American students who were in their
post-secondary standards. Self efficacy for coping with career barriers was tested as a mediator
of these relationships. The results that were found showed that lower PSS (Low Perceived Social
Status) and more experiences of both personal and systematic classism related to lower COE
(College Outcome Expectations). It also showed that the coping efficacy for career barriers
completely mediated these relationships. Contrary to expectations, experiences with ethnic
discrimination were unrelated to COEs. Implication for future research and scope of career
counseling has been provided in the article.
The implication of the respective paper is important and significant as it provides certain
path breaking implications of psychology in terms of career counseling for the multicultural
society of North America. The paper highlights the need for the counselors to encourage the
students’ self efficacy, empowerment and resilience and also utilize interventions designed to
increase efficacy. The paper has implied about the fact that the Native American students who
attend career counseling might benefit from an assessment of experiences with environmental
barriers that occur in personal and systematic levels in educational sector. The paper has
suggested the counselors to utilize “the ecological model” and “culturally appropriate career
counseling model” or a developmental, multiple role prospective model of career counseling to
facilitate the students an environmental framework where the students would be able to
conceptualize their experiences with environmental barriers. The career counselors might as well

2PSYCHOLOGY: OCCUPATIONAL COUNSELING
provide the Native American students enough space so that they acknowledge the cultural
barriers they face in order to build positive outcomes by fostering their cultural strength to meet
and tackle such situations. Therefore, the paper advices the counselors to not assume that career
barriers are only “negative” which provides “pessimistic or obnoxious outcomes” to the
aboriginal students. The counselors and mental health practitioners might therefore, advised to
assess for and work with the clients to identify the personal strengths to draw upon in between
the environmental experiments with oppression among the Native American students.
To summarize the article, it can be said that, on a systematic level, the results of the
respective research paper is extended to the development of new interventions that are designed
exclusively for the Native American students so that they develop the efficacy of coping with the
ethnic discrimination and other xenophobic experiences they face in schools, colleges and
universities alike. The paper, in its conclusion, has also suggested certain instances, such as
group programs that include Native American role models where they share their academic and
professional experiences of discrimination could be implemented in the Native American
assistance or support centers and camps. Peer education programs can also be carried out that
would benefit the Native American students by increasing their coping abilities and efficacy to
cope and adjust with the barriers they face throughout their life through various institutions and
establishments.