Career counseling with African Americans.

Abstract

T o better understand the work experiences of Black/African Americans, vocational psychologists and career counselors must look beyond the assumptions offered in standard career counseling discourse like that of Parsons, Holland, Super, and even Bingham et al. (2006). We now advocate for a broader awareness of the historical and geopolitical contexts of work and expand what constitutes work for/among Black and African American populations and individuals. Additionally, a rigorous understanding of the ongoing effects of structural racism, intersectionality, and the lived experiences of the diaspora is necessary to provide Black and African American populations with relevant career guidance. In this chapter, we update the assumptions that vocational psychologists and career counselors can/must adopt in their work with these individuals. To approach the multidimensional, historically informed needs of Black and African American individuals, it is necessary to grapple with information that may not have been previously captured.Drawing on the work of Bingham and Ward (1994) and Bingham et al. (2006), this chapter outlines a contemporary approach to career counseling with African Americans. Those authors previously offered 10 assumptions to be used when working with African Americans. These assumptions included a focus on traditional counseling and career and adult development theories, multicultural guidelines, worldview, session limits, the sociopolitical climate, a focus on African American women, and so on. We are now modifying some of the 10 and adding two new assumptions. The complete list of the 12 assumptions is provided later in this chapter.