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Perceptions developed and choices made during the preadolescent and early adolescent years may restrict or enrich youth's future career aspirations. These years are critical for acquiring and exploring academic and career-related interests. In addition, outcome expectations -- what youth believe will happen if they pursue certain interests, tasks, or goals -- are important predictors of eventual career choice. With national, state, and local initiatives advocating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and career goals, there is a need to understand youth's outcome expectations regarding these fields. We present a qualitative study examining the outcome expectations of 95 youth aged 10-14, using focus group data. Several of the identified outcome expectations had negative connotations. Results supported the outcome expectations identified by Bandura (i.e., physical, social, and self), and two additional types of outcome expectations (generativity and relational). These two outcome expectations have special relevance for the underrepresentation of girls, women, and minorities in STEM occupations.

Career counselors work with people from varied segments of society. For battered women, some of the challenges they face from intimate partner violence may significantly influence their career exploration and decision making. Social cognitive career theory (SCCT; R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) is a framework that has important implications for working with these women. In this article, the authors present the unique career needs of battered women terminating abusive relationships, the relevance of SCCT to this population, strategies for using SCCT when working with these women, and a case study illustrating effective use of SCCT.

This study examines the relationships among work possible selves, socioeconomic position, gender, and psychological well-being. Participants were college students in early adulthood (N = 201), aged 20 to 35. Work possible selves, a construct based on the theory of possible selves, were examined. The results showed relationships between expectations for the future self in work (expected work possible selves) and socioeconomic position. Results also showed that individuals who report larger discrepancies between hoped-for and expected work possible selves reported lower psychological well-being in terms of satisfaction with life. (Contains 2 tables.)

Focus groups are becoming a popular research approach that counselors can use as an efficient, practical, and applied method of gathering information to better serve clients. In this article, the authors describe focus groups and their potential usefulness to professional counselors and researchers. Practical implications related to the use of focus groups in counseling practice are discussed, and case examples are provided demonstrating how focus groups can be useful to counselors.

Overall spiritual wellness, as well as 4 individual components of spiritual wellness, has been theoretically and empirically linked with depression. Prior to this investigation, no study has examined the relationship between spiritual wellness and depression by using a 4-component measurement model of spiritual wellness. In this study of older adolescents and midlife adults, negative correlations between 4 components of spiritual wellness and depression were found for both groups. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that for both older adolescents and midlife adults, the only significant contributing factor of spiritual wellness to depression was meaning and purpose in life. (Contains 2 tables.)

As women have gained entry and status in the workforce over the past century, societal focus on female beauty and thinness has intensified, and rates of eating disorders have risen. In tandem with these trends, many career women have come to associate success at work with the ability to maintain strict control over body weight. This control becomes life-threatening, however, to the individual who develops symptoms of anorexia nervosa. This article uses Dawis and Lofquist's theory of work adjustment (TWA) as a way to conceptualize the precarious person-environment correspondence sometimes achieved by women with anorexic symptoms in their work environments. Practical suggestions, based in TWA and cognitive-behavioral theory, are suggested for career counselors working with these clients.

Advances in medical treatment have greatly extended the life span and quality of life of persons living with HIV, with the nature of the disease evolving from causing an early death to chronic, manageable illness. Career counselors will increasingly be called upon to assist persons living with HIV. This article provides an overview of HIV disease and of career-related issues unique to persons living with HIV. Career counseling interventions are discussed from an ecological perspective.

Collegiate student-athletes present unique issues regarding career development. Career counselors who infuse the Learning Theory of Career Counseling (Krumboltz, 1996) into their work with collegiate student-athletes can help these clients learn new ways to explore career possibilities. By co-creating learning opportunities with student-athletes, counselors can help promote expansion of clients' interests, skills, beliefs, values, and personal qualities. Such growth can help members of this population deal with issues like identity foreclosure and social isolation en route to establishing a set of problem-solving and decision-making skills that will serve them well over the course of their lives.

First-generation students, or students whose parents did not attend college, represent 27% of all graduating high school students. They have unique needs that separate them from other students and that must be addressed in counseling. This article examines how school and career counselors can help these students through the use of Social Cognitive Career Theory. This theory and its focus on self-efficacy, outcome expectations, barriers, and goals can help with career and academic decision-making. A case example working with a high school junior is provided as an example of how this theory can assist this population. Implications for future research and counseling strategies are suggested as well.

The theory of work adjustment is useful in addressing the career counseling needs of retirees who want to continue working but who need to explore their career choices before settling on a new occupation or job. This article examines some of the challenges that midlife and older adults face as they plan postretirement careers. Information about TWA and a case example are provided to assist counselors in understanding how TWA can be applied to retirement career counseling.

During recent years, there has been increased interest in the relationship between neighborhood environments and social deviancy. This article reports on the development of an index of neighborhoods, which is built upon community features of social and physical incivilities (Wandersman & Nation, 1998). Factor structure and internal consistency of scores on the Community Safety Scale are reported. (Author)

Using the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) as a framework for identifying potential career challenges for lesbians, the authors explores the relationship between outness and discrimination and the four primary components of TWA. Career counseling implications are discussed, and specific suggestions are made for counselors. (Contains 35 references.) (Author)

Reviews the cognitive development of children, with a focus on Piagetian theory as a framework for understanding Developmental Counseling and Therapy (DCT). Describes both the assessment process and intervention planning, and provides specific applications to counseling children in school settings. (Contains 35 references.) (GCP)

Combined quantitative and qualitative data to examine beliefs and strategies related to possible selves in a sample of 22 rural African American female adolescents and their mothers. Findings from Q-sort data indicate two distinct mother-daughter groups, with one group emphasizing the daughter's personal attributes and the other putting greatest weight on the daughter's future occupation and life circumstances. (SLD)

This study identified a set of factors, including vocational exploration and commitment, commitment to the role of work, and participation in the role of studying, which explained 43.3 percent of the variance in the identity development of 95 gifted female adolescents. Of these factors, vocational exploration and commitment contributed the most to identity development. (Contains references.) (DB)

Examines adventure-based counseling in a school environment and how experiencing personal growth and cohesiveness extends to the classroom setting. In addition to a description of adventure-based counseling, examples of sessions are included with explanations of activities and processing questions that illustrate the usefulness of adventure-based counseling for school counselors. (BF)

Describes strategies to smooth students' transition to middle school, listing programs and activities prior to the school year, during the summer, and during the school year. Considers adolescents' changing developmental needs. (JPB)

School counselors need to be prepared to address student concerns and school problems in collaborative ways, while working cooperatively with school principals. A seminar is described which is designed to help graduate students in school counseling and school administration develop a greater appreciation of the roles, responsibilities, and perspectives of each of their respective profession. (Author/JDM)

Describes a model developed for use with parents and older sibling survivors who have experienced a family member's suicide. The model combines solution-focused interventions with an adapted Critical Incident Stress Debriefing model. The model encourages survivors to participate in an experiential process that promotes discussion and identification of strengths to foster the healing process. (Author/JDM)

First-generation students, or students whose parents did not attend college, represent 27% of all graduating high school students. They have unique needs that separate them from other students and that must be addressed in counseling. This article examines how school and career counselors can help these students through the use of Social Cognitive Career Theory. This theory and its focus on self-efficacy, outcome expectations, barriers, and goals can help with career and academic decision-making. A case example working with a high school junior is provided as an example of how this theory can assist this population. Implications for future research and counseling strategies are suggested as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article to examines the benefits and challenges related to cross-racial supervision, and discusses the significance of integrating racial identity development in the supervision process. A summary of the literature on cross-racial supervision has been presented and a developmental approach to cross-racial supervision between a white supervisor and a supervisee of color has been discussed in detail. The article adds that counseling profession is becoming more aware of the importance of racial and cultural issues in counselor education and supervision.