Interview with Ms Tabitha McGuiness Discussion Response

 

 

1) I chose to interview Ms. Tabitha McGuiness, she is an intervention counselor at a K-5 elementary school. She has a Masters in Science, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas.

A typical day can look very different from day to day for Ms. McGuiness. Some days she is able to start sessions at 7:30 AM, while other days it might be 9:30 before she begins individual sessions due to a student needing immediate assistance. She provides individual sessions to students with mental health needs that are on her caseload. This includes maintaining all paperwork and documentation pertaining to the caseload, and reporting to the Licensed Psychologist with the school district to see if additional services are needed.  She tries to see as many students as she can throughout the day, again this can look different everyday. After each session she takes 15-20 minutes to record the needed information about the session.

She struggled with being bullied in school, and her parents got a divorce when she was 11. It wasn’t until she turned 20 when she began seeing a therapist for these things. The therapists helped her understand that it is ok to stand up for yourself, whether to do with bullies or parents. Her school counselor was very supportive and suggested she take a class in psychology her senior year. This started her journey, but it took several years to completely decide this role.  She has been in her current position for 5 years.

She would still choose the same career path and wishes she would have chosen it sooner than she did. It gives her a sense of accomplishment when leaving work everyday knowing she helped a student in need, due to her own misfortunes in school.  She is able to apply her experiences to help them learn and grow.

She had many trials and tribulations in her childhood, but the one thing that influenced her the most was someone in her high school committing suicide. Even through everything she had been through, she had never considered that as an option. After going to the community college for her associates degree in education. She decided she wanted to help people that had suicidal thoughts and help them learn copying skills to help through difficult times.

She has not faced any barriers or challenges due to aspects of her identity in the profession. Although she does acknowledge being a white female in the industry has allowed her some privileges that weren’t offered to other classmates in college.  After studying the “white privilege” era her eyes were opened to this concept. It only then made her realize this is what she had witnessed in college.

Her advice for future counselors is to explore different forms of counseling before you choose a role. And know that it is ok if you take on a role whether in a clinical or school setting, and decide it is not right for you. She has worked in both settings before choosing to be an intervention counselor at an elementary school.

After meeting with Ms. McGuiness and having time to think about her answers, I believe her story aligns with John Krumboltz’s Learning Theory. The Social Learning Theory of Career Decision Making suggests that career choices are “influenced by complex environmental factors, many of which are beyond the control of any single individual” (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022). Environmental conditions and events as well as Instructional and associative learning experiences influenced her career choice developing in her transition from high school to college.

She also was highly aware of how her “innate predispositions and learning experiences” helped her ultimately choose her profession. Krumboltz noted that individuals will prefer an occupation if: they have succeeded at tasks related to the profession, admired someone in the profession while being rewarded for performing professional activities, and if they have a friend or a relative praise the advantages of the profession.  From what she told me she can relate to all three characteristics.  (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022)

Her individual beliefs were formed by world generalizations, task approach skills and actions. I found it most interesting how the different components of her childhood led her to being an intervention counselor at an elementary school. When she began her own therapy she noticed a need and took action. This inturn helped her with her self observation generalizations, and applying those experiences to help choose a career she is very fulfilled with.  (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022)

2 )Main Post from Ariel Gonzalez

Ms. Sarah Yang holds a Master of Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Ms. Yang has held various positions that have solidified her passion for working with children and their families; her most notable position was working as an educational aid with the Department of Defense. During her role as an educational aid, Ms. Yang was relocated to Germany, where she spent two and a half years supporting general education and special education classrooms. After completing her terms in Germany, Ms. Yang decided to return to Virginia and continue her advocacy as an infant educator with the local early intervention program. However, before relocating to Germany, Ms. Yang had the opportunity to travel to Korea as an educational aid but declined the offer as she is from Korea. Ms. Yang noted that she had a difficult upbringing, as her mother was opposed to Ms. Yang’s passion for teaching; she did not want to return to Korea because she did not want to confront the despairing memories of her childhood. Ms. Yang shared that her mother’s opposition drove her to vehemently continue pursuing her role as an educator in the profession. Ms. Yang also noted that despite the trials and tribulations endured by her mother, she left Korea against her mother’s advice to pursue a career in a field that she was passionate about, social services.

Career counseling and working with socially marginalized groups are vital in the profession. This post will address how an individual’s sociocultural factors have influenced their career development. Additionally, how a career theory most adequately explains Ms. Yang’s career development.

Highlights of Sociocultural Factors

In traditional Korean culture, when a toddler celebrates their first birthday, the family gathers to celebrate the first year of life by placing various objects or items that represent different careers. For example, a stethoscope means a doctor, a microphone for a performing artist, or a sports ball for an athlete. The idea is for the child will crawl or walk to choose a preferred item that will indicate their future career. In Ms. Yang’s case, she chose a pencil representing a teacher or a scholar; she is now both. After sharing her story, she jokingly said that she should have gone for the stethoscope since doctors make more money, and that way, her mother would not resent her career decision.

Ms. Yang always deemed herself the rebel or black sheep of her family because she was oppositional. Her mother ridiculed her for not choosing a career that was better suited for her. However, Ms. Yang feels that her innate maternal instinct played a significant role in her career choice. Brown (2002) noted that gender is an essential factor in career decisions, depending on each individual’s collective social value. Additionally, Ms. Yang wanted to pursue a meaningful career; she did not want an occupation to make money but rather one that would positively alter an individual’s life, therefore weaving her life into a “meaningful whole” (Hansen, 2001, p. 267). While understanding Hayes (2002, as cited in Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022) framework of ADDRESSING, Ms. Yang felt that her age and generational values influenced her decision to choose a career in the social services field.

Case Conceptualization

Ms. Yang’s childhood was difficult as she was reared in a demanding environment that strived for perfection. She shared that she had to relearn many things that were instilled in her as a child, such as dependency; however, she is no longer comfortable seeking others’ approval as an adult. Therefore, Ms. Yang’s career story is closely aligned with Anne Roe’s Personality Theory of Career Choice, as some of her early childhood experiences influenced her career as an adult (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022). Further, Ms. Yang shared that she is very detail-oriented and continues to strive for perfection, which aligns with aspects of the theory.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges that Ms. Yang endured throughout her life regarding her career choice, she has become a successful educator, mentor, and scholar. Ms. Yang is a testament that although we may have endured difficulties in our childhood, we can still become successful members of society. Interviewing Ms. Yang for the exercise was an enlightening experience, as she was able to reflect on intimate aspects of her life that have influenced her identity and career development. Overall, my hope for the future is to be able to learn and grow from experiences that I endured in my childhood and continue to apply them to my personal career development.