TPC-Journal-V4-Issue2

The Professional Counselor \Volume 4, Issue 2 152 options for employment may be considered that were not considered before engaging in career counseling. Be- cause Bullock et al. (2009) did not find significant differences between veterans and the general adult population regarding their skills, abilities and interests, this article asserts that counselors can readily apply the evidence- based CIP approach to veterans’ career issues without great concern that dramatic differences may hinder effec- tiveness of the approach. Using CIP Groups as Career Interventions for Veterans The CIP Model: Theoretical Framework The CIP approach to counseling as developed by Sampson et al. (2004) is based on two core concepts: (1) the pyramid of information-processing domains, and (2) the CASVE cycle of decision making. This approach focuses on the holistic nature of careers, the process of choosing a career path and the generalizability of the decision-making process to areas beyond occupations (Bullock-Yowell et al., 2011). The CASVE cycle refers to a decision-making process that involves five steps to make up the acronym, which are communication, analysis, synthesis, valuing and execution. The first step is communication, which entails identifying what decision needs to be made or “identifying the gap” between where one is and where he or she wants to be following imple- mentation of a decision (Sampson et al., 2004). The following step, analysis, involves one identifying his or her own value as an employee and what he or she wants to receive from a career or job (Sampson et al., 2004). Following this, during synthesis, one elaborates and crystallizes the occupational options available depending on the self-knowledge gained (Sampson et al., 2004). After identifying top choices, the next step is valuing, in which the individual engages a cost-and-benefit analysis of the options available, and using the self-knowledge gained during analysis, ranks the options that have been identified (Sampson et al., 2004). The final stage of the CASVE cycle is execution, in which the decider puts his or her action plan into place and carries out the choice or decision made through the process (Sampson et al., 2004). The four assumptions underlying the process and theory of CIP are the following: (1) emotions and cogni- tions can influence career problem solving and decision making; (2) effective problem solving requires both gaining knowledge and thinking about the knowledge gained; (3) what is known about the self and the environ- ment is constantly interacting and evolving, and organization of this information occurs in complex ways; and (4) career problem solving and career decision making are skills that can be improved through learning and practice (Sampson et al., 2004). CIP-focused career counseling uses cognitive behavioral-based techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and homework to facilitate the basic aims of the counseling process (Bullock-Yowell et al., 2011). Application of CIP Model to Veteran Interventions As stated previously, approximately 15% of the veteran population report having service-related disabili- ties and of this group, more than one million suffer from service-related visual impairment (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014a; Williams, 2007). The purpose of a group-based approach to vocational intervention is to further the current goals set forth by existing VA BRC: of enhancing and improving quality of life for these disabled individuals (Williams, 2007). In addition to medical rehabilitation activities such as mobility training and orientation, veterans deemed likely to benefit from mental health treatment should also engage in individual and/or group counseling (Kuyk et al., 2004). The purpose of rehabilitation activities is to increase veterans’ independence through improving their self-efficacy toward tasks that become extremely difficult for visually impaired individuals (Kuyk et al., 2004). Offering vocational counseling in addition to these skill-building activities is meant to further enhance this purpose by providing insight and progress toward satisfying indepen- dence for these individuals in vocational domains. The group format would best be served in conjunction with current treatment offered to veterans in established VA BRC.