Career Development Interventions for Social Justice: Addressing Needs across the Lifespan in Educational, Community, and Employment Contexts

Career development interventions can serve as one means to constructively address the problems of inequitable access to educational and occupational options and achievement that promote health and well-being across the lifespan. Career Development Interventions for Social Justice: Addressing Needs across the Lifespan in Educational, Community, and Employment Contexts offers practical examples of career development interventions that may be adapted to constructively address social justice needs at various points across the lifespan (ranging from elementary school ages to older adults) in educational, community, and employment contexts. Tailored to the needs and context of a specific underserved group of individuals, each intervention integrates relevant career development theory, research, ethical considerations, elements of sound program design and evaluation, and professional competencies for best practices in multicultural career counseling and social justice advocacy. Unique to this book are the contributions of authors, including practicing professional counselors and psychologists, who share their personal reflections of self-awareness from privileged and marginalized identities regarding potential biases and resources of relevance to their chapter’s intervention. In the process of designing and providing career development services for individuals from marginalized groups, it is imperative for counselors to continually reflect on and consult about their own biases and resources for empathic understanding and effectiveness with those whom we serve.

About the Author

Margo A. Jackson, PhD, is a professor of counseling psychology in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University, Lincoln Center. Her scholarship and mentoring are grounded in values of social justice awareness and advocacy; multicultural and interdisciplinary perspectives; and scientist-practitioner approaches to training and practice that are holistic, strength-based, developmental, and focused on facilitating healthy human relationships. Her research, teaching, and service focus on methods to assess and constructively address hidden biases and strengths of counselors, psychologists, educators, and other leaders; career development across the life span; and ethical training and supervision in multicultural counseling and psychology. Allyson K. Regis, PhD is a licensed psychologist who received her doctorate in counseling psychology from Fordham University. Dr. Regis has worked in a variety of clinical settings and particularly enjoys working with college students who have difficulty adjusting to/navigating the college environment. Her research, teaching, and leadership experiences have focused on multicultural considerations in clinical work, strength-based approaches to wellness, and career development theory. Kourtney Bennett, Ph.D., is a staff psychologist at the Loyola University Maryland Counseling Center. She completed her doctoral studies at Fordham University’s APA accredited Counseling Psychology Program. Her clinical experiences include supporting youth and adults at community mental health, college counseling, and career development center settings. Her research and service interests include multicultural and intersectional identity, vocational development among adolescents and emerging adults, and social justice and advocacy.