Book Club

What Works – Career Building Strategies for Special Needs Groups,

By Cristy Hayden, Published by: Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development (1999) – Available from: Learning Resources Distributing Centre (Catalogue Item #383109)
12360 – 142 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5L 4X9 – Telephone: (780) 422-5775 Fax: (780)422-9750

This comprehensive resource provides pragmatic strategies, practices and resources to assist career counsellors when working with individuals who fall into a special needs group.

The special needs groups covered in this guide include the following:

• aboriginal people
• ex-offenders
• immigrants and visible minorities
• older workers
• persons diagnosed with mental illness
• persons with developmental disabilities
• persons with learning disabilities
• persons with physical disabilities
• social assistance recipients
• women
• working poor
• youth

Each special needs group has one complete chapter dedicated to its needs and considerations. The topics included in each chapter include the following:

1. General characteristics of the special needs group.
2. Employment issues or barriers which characterize the special needs group.
3. Suggestions of “best practices” for the career counsellor to utilize.
4. Effective program strategies.
5. Relevant Internet sites.
6. Likely cases in which two special needs groups may intersect.

This guide has been written on the assumption that individuals using it will already have basic career counselling skills and have access to career development and labour market information. It is assumed that career counsellors are working from a client-centered approach, striving to meet the individual needs of the client.

This guide has been written as a reference guide, rather than a “how to” guide. Presented in a binder, each special needs group is separated by a clearly identified divider, making quick reference to each of the special needs groups extremely easy.

Each chapter includes quotations from various sources, contributing to the information included in the main text. Basic and easy to read facts are included in the margins which help bring clarity to the concepts being discussed.

In an effort to have us consider our own values, assumptions and biases as counsellors, each chapter includes a section titled “Am I a barrier?” Here you will find a list of questions that encourage us to consider how our own perceptions may be influencing the counselling or group process.

Each chapter includes a comprehensive list of resource organizations, web sites, videos and selected bibliography, relevant to the particular group. These lists can open doors to a multitude of resources you may choose to access to expand your knowledge and skills. For those clients wanting to work independently towards their own career goals, these lists would serve as a comprehensive source of Canadian resources available.

This is truly a user friendly reference guide written for career counsellors spanning various levels of experience and expertise. This guide provides a Canada-wide perspective, making it applicable and useful in all provinces throughout the country. As career counsellors, we are continually challenged by the barriers faced by the individuals with we work with. This guide is a valuable resource to assist us in addressing these issues.

Cristy Hayden B.Sc., D.C.D., C.P.R.W. is a career practitioner, working on Vancouver Island, BC. She can be reached atchayden@island.net.

Do you have a book review to share?
E-mail us at admin@contactpoint.ca