TPC-Journal-V4-Issue2

The Professional Counselor \Volume 4, Issue 2 153 The CIP approach aims to assist people in making appropriate career choices through education and prac- tice of problem-solving and decision-making skills (Sampson et al., 2004). As the world of work continues to evolve, even for civilians who have been a part of it for decades, teaching disabled veterans how to approach this new world is extremely relevant to helping them further adapt to this dynamic environment (Sampson et al., 2004). Career counseling in general has this goal of assisting clients in recognizing and resolving issues (McAu- liffe et al., 2006), and the CIP approach provides a standardized outline to address this need. In the case of visu- ally impaired veterans, as with most disabilities, the need for advocacy also plays a part in approaching career counseling (Bullock et al., 2009). It will be important for counselors to continue monitoring perceived barriers and assessing how veteran participants may be able to overcome these independently, while also recognizing when advocacy may be appropriate (Clemens & Milsom, 2008). Group Goals Using the CIP Model The group’s goals are in line with the majority of research regarding veteran transitions and career counsel- ing for individuals with disabilities (Clemens & Milsom, 2008; Perlman et al., 2010; Westwood et al, 2010). However, the goals of the CIP approach to career counseling (Sampson et al., 2004) should be noted and incor- porated according to established veteran goals regarding employment and careers. Goals include the following: (1) decreasing negative career thoughts and increasing confidence in one’s ability to make career decisions, (2) increasing knowledge of an effective career decision-making process and how to apply it to decisions outside occupational domains, (3) increasing self-knowledge regarding skills, abilities and interests in relation to deci- sion making, (4) increasing independence through education and practice of completing work outside group sessions, and (5) creating a cohesive and safe environment for participants to feel comfortable to make both mistakes and progress. Individual Factors to Consider Suggested Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria In attempt to achieve the aforementioned goals, prescreening for inclusion in the suggested group should occur in individual settings with the group leader. The group is formatted such that it is a closed group, but because of the nature of most treatment facilities, staggered start and end dates may allow for continuous en- rollment in the protocol. Optimally, groups will be composed of five to eight patients and meet once a week for an hour over the course of 7 weeks. Suggested prescreening should include evaluation of eligibility as well as completion of assessments to aid in achieving group goals. Some assessments may be used as outcome mea- sures to assess effectiveness, while some serve informative purposes for the group participants. Inclusion criteria that should be considered are an individual diagnosis of visual impairment, current receipt of treatment at a VA BRC where groups may be conducted, and ability to articulate a career-related gap that can benefit from the CIP approach. Exclusion criteria to consider include current clinically significant substance abuse or dependence, unwillingness to engage in group work or work outside group, and extreme distress as as- sessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) or other assessments used by the rehabilitation center to assess psychopathology. Extreme distress may be characterized by “severe” classifications according to scores on any scales or “moderate” classification of scores on the depression scale of the DASS. Further, individu- als who are only able to identify a single question that needs to be addressed or noncareer-related goals would likely not benefit from the group as outlined. Additionally, individuals with complete blindness may be exclud- ed from the group-based CIP treatment, as they are likely to need more focused treatment. These individuals should be offered the option of engaging in the protocol on an individual basis, because of the need for addi- tional augmentation and specialized attention with regard to completing and interpreting assessments, as well as adapting homework assignments.