Behavioral Observations, Assessment Instrument, and Procedures - Essay Example

Behavioral Observations, Assessment Instrument, and Procedures I. Reasons for Referral John Doe was referred to counseling by a teacher who feels that John needs some guidance in choosing an appropriate career path. The teacher confided that John may be setting unrealistic goals in that he is determined to pursue a career that he in all likelihood may not be amenable to both academically and personally. The teacher is concerned that John’s ambition to become a medical doctor does not match his personality and he has never demonstrated the degree of commitment and interest in the sciences that one might expect of an aspiring doctor. Thus far, John has been making inquiries about pre-med college entrance requirements and he is showing signs of frustration over the slim prospect of gaining admission. Even so, he has not given up and continues to adhere to this commitment. The teacher fears that John is not looking at other alternatives and might find himself without a career choice if and when he fails to get into premed school or fails to achieve his goal of becoming a medical doctor. John’s teacher feels that counseling may help John make a more realistic career choice or at the very least help him to prepare for an alternative career in the likely event that his aspirations toward the medical profession fails him. Ultimately, John’s teacher feels that even if John successfully gets into pre-med school he will not remain committed and will lose interest quickly. II. Background Information John is an only child. He is a normal 18 year old with no known medical problems. He has regular checkups and appears to be in good health. He is articulate and well-mannered, although a little shy and reserved. Beneath the shy and reserved veneer however, is a sensible and caring young man who wants to please his parents and to make them proud of him. John had a relatively normal childhood as there are no known behavioral problems. His mother is a housewife and his father is a medical doctor. As an only child, John has a close relationship with his father and it is obvious that he wants to be like his father. He is proud of the fact that his father is a doctor as he always talks about his father’s and his medical career. John is also very close to his mother and indicates that she encourages him to pursue a medical career but fears that he is not up to the task academically. She has been realistic about his prospects. John indicates that his father has not put any pressure on him to follow his career path, but John feels that his father would want him to be a medical doctor more than anything else. It is obvious that John feels some sort of pressure to join the medical profession as a medical doctor. He is afraid that anything less would disappoint his parents but most of all, he feels that anything else is tantamount to complete failure. John needs to realize that he has to choose a career that will give him satisfaction and not one that will give his parents satisfaction. That is assuming that his parents want him to become a medical doctor. Ultimately, John will not experience job satisfaction if he engages in a career that he has little or no personal interest in. He will find greater satisfaction in a career that suits his personality and his academic strengths. John is an average student who means well, but just does not have the drive and determination to excel. Academically, John has been satisfied to do the bare minimum although in his last year he appears to applying himself with more tenacity. This change in attitude is tied to the fact that John wants to go to medical school. Unfortunately, it might be too late for him as his grades over the previous years of high school have only been average and remained in the low Bs to Cs. Four assessment instruments were used. John was assessed by virtue of an IQ test, Holland’s Code Quiz (career test), the Jung Typology test (personality) and the True Colors Personality Test Assessment. The IQ test was used to test John’s cognitive ability. The IQ test measures the participant’s comprehension, judgment, memory and “spatial ability” (Drummond 2010, p. 175). John was assessed in thirteen fields which are designed to expose “his strengths and weaknesses” (IQTest.com 2010). The Holland Code Quiz assumes that different attitudes, perceptions, outlooks, self-perceptions and competencies are matched to certain career possibilities. In testing for personality traits, the Holland Code Quiz matches these different factors to a specific career possibility or possibilities (Holland Code Quiz). The Jung Typology Test assesses personality traits and aligns them with specific career types (Jung Typology Test). The True Colors Personality Test Assessment is based on the True Colors theory which dates back to Hippocrates but has since been developed by psychologists such as Carl Jung, Katherine Myers-Briggs and David Keirsey. Don Lowry in particular has used the True Colors theory in his book Keys to Personal Success to apply in real life. Essentially the True Colors theory identifies four human traits that are habit forming and can determine growth and self-esteem (True Colors Personality Test). The purpose of the assessment instruments was to help John more realistically choose a career path that was more amenable to his interest, aptitude and personality. The assessments were conducted in the interview room and on the internet via a desktop computer. Prior to taking the assessments this counselor briefed the client on the assessment instruments and their purpose. He was also logged on to the computer and instructed to pull up the tests. When John appeared to conduct the Holland Quiz, he was dressed in a professional manner as if he had been prepared for a job interview or wanted to make a good impression. He exhibited a shy and reserved demeanor in that he spoke softly and appeared to be hesitant. For example when John was invited to log on to the computer he paused and had to be probed. Moreover he preferred to stand at the computer. However, as he became involved in the test he finally sat down. It was as if he felt that by standing up, the session would end faster. This counselor took that to mean that John was not particularly interested in the counseling session. . John’s hesitance came across as a manifestation of ambivalence or perhaps an apprehensive attitude. This demeanor was exemplified when John first began to take the Holland Code Quiz. His facial expression is hard to describe but it gave this counselor the distinct impression that John was ambivalent about the quiz. Once he settled into the quiz he appeared to be in a hurry to complete it, and sighed at times, indicating that he was growing impatient with the quiz. Nevertheless John completed the quiz and appeared to have read the questions and the responses before answering them. Once John completed the test, he admitted that he found the Holland Code Quiz boring and felt that the end would never come. John also admitted that he had a difficult time selecting the correct answers at times because he was bored, but that he was honest and did his best to choose an answer as accurately as possible. Ultimately, John said that he had to remind himself that the quiz was for his own good and as such he eventually decided to take each question seriously and by adopting that attitude he was able to get through the quiz effectively. When John kept his appointment for the Jung Typology Test, he appeared to more congenial and relaxed. This was immediately detected by the fact that he was dressed differently. He was wearing more casual clothing and appeared to be far less impatient and hesitant than on the previous occasion. He appeared to brace himself for another long and boring quiz and actually took a seat at the computer, obviously anticipating that the test was be conducted online and would not be a 30 second affair. Once John started the quiz his facial expression conveyed resolve rather than ambivalence as in the previous session. In other words, John expected for the quiz to bore him, but was determined to sit through it for his own benefit. Upon completing the test John indicated that didn’t have any idea how the results would be computed as he wasn’t sure how the answers to the questions asked would accurately match his personality type to a career. Even so, he accepted that the test was generated by an expert who obviously knew what they were looking for and how to use the information received. John also admitted that the quiz bored him, but he took it seriously and answered the questions as honestly as possible and did not check off random answers for the sake of expediting the quiz. The True Colors Personality Assessment Test was also conducted in the interview room and John appeared for this test dressed casually. He also appeared much more relaxed and friendly and was relieved that he was nearing the end of his assessments. He confided that he did not like taking tests of any kind. Having explained the True Colors Personality Assessment Test to John said that he was anxious to participate as he said he was interested in classifying his personality. During the assessment he appeared to be cooperative and interested and was not distracted. After the test, he was appeared to be relieved and anxious for the results. When John appeared to the interview room for the IQ test he appeared anxious to get started and this counselor interpreted that as evidence of John’s realization that he was participating in his final assessment. Once again he was pleasant and more relaxed, but always courteous. Once John began the IQ test he appeared to be enjoying it more than the other assessments. This counselor interpreted his demeanor as nothing more than John’s relief over the fact that he was participating in his final assessment and did not make anything of it. After the test, John indicated that he was stuck on a number of questions and had to guess the responses. He wasn’t confident that he had done well on the IQ test. III. Assessment Results and Interpretation John Scored 107 on his IQ Test which means he is of average intelligence. With average intelligence it is highly unlikely that John would succeed in medical school unless something happened along the way to improve his intelligence quotient. John was informed of this IQ test results and informed that half the population has the same level of intelligence and that doctors however are typically in the higher range with above average intelligence. However that did not mean that he could not be a doctor. It just meant that it would probably take a lot longer for him to get into medical school and to complete it. Moreover, it meant that he would have to work a lot harder and there were no guarantees that he would succeed even if it took several years and lots of hard work. On the Holland’s Code Quiz John’s results were: Realistic 4, Investigative 3 (lowest), Artistic 0, Social 18 (highest) Enterprising 14, Conventional 13(Holland Code Quiz. John’s highest scores were in social followed by enterprising and conventional. According to the Holland’s Code Quiz, John should choose a career path associated with becoming a teacher, a member of the clergy, a therapist, a nurse, a social worker or a sociologist. These careers will utilize John’s tendency toward being social and enterprising (Holland Code Quiz). In explain these results to John I told him that the results were only important if he used them for his vocational benefit. After all, using an old adage I told John that it was far better to be a good plumber than a lousy philosopher. I told John that he could choose to work in the social services or as a therapist as both areas were not only conducive to his personality but they helped people in important ways just as doctors do. John’s Jung Typology Test result revealed that he was Type ISFJ: Introverted 44% Sensing 12%, Feeling 50%, and Judging 33% respectfully. The client’s personality type indicates that he has a range of career choices that require working with others and they include social services within social work, religious education, education and child day care management. He will also do well in health care and customer service as well as in the technical arts. I explained to John that if he truly wanted to become a doctor just so that he could help people heal, he could do so by joining any one of the professions that suited his personality. The True Colors Personality Test Assessment designated that John was Gold which means that he has an innate need to feel as though he belongs and will only belong if he takes responsibility for himself. In addition to stability, the individual characterized as Gold wants to ensure the continuance of the culture and the unit and aspires to be efficient and dependable. The individual characterized as Gold is fiercely loyal to family. The Gold individual is driven by a need to come across as responsible and willing to meet his/her obligations and to be able to not only organize their own lives, but the lives of others. The Gold individual also believes in earning his/her privileges not only by working but by conducting services for others. The Gold characterization of John informs that his desire to be a doctor is motivated by his kinship in the sense that he is fiercely loyal to his family and wants to maintain stability and the family culture. However, the Gold characterization also informs that John is more suitable to working in a service where he can organize the lives of others and this speaks to social services or teaching rather than the physical healing that medical science is aligned with. John was therefore advised accordingly. IV. Summary and Recommendation The client seems more eager to please his parents above choosing a career that suit him. He has convinced himself that he wants to be a medical doctor and that anything else is failure. This is a lofty goal since the client’s own academic background, intelligence level and interest are not consistent with what one might expect of a medical doctor. Although his work ethics have improved this year, John has a history of not applying himself to this work as he appears to be satisfied with average grades. There is no evidence that the client’s parents are pressuring him to become a medical doctor although his mother has stated that she would like for him to join the profession. However, since his mother worries that he might not qualify for medical school, John definitely feels pressured to prove his mother wrong. John is putting too much emphasis on achieving a goal he may in all likelihood never achieve and even if he did achieve that goal it is highly unlikely that he will remain committed to the profession. Collectively, John’s assessment results indicate clearly that he does not have the aptitude or the personality expected of a doctor. The closest John’s assessment results gets him to the medical field is in becoming a nurse. Since the client is assessed as sociable and enterprising, he will do better to choice a career in which he works independently and with people. In this regard, this counselor thinks the client is more suitable to teaching or working in the social services. John appeared to be genuinely disappointed in the realization that he did not have the aptitude for medical school. However, he was encouraged by the fact that he was assessed as sociable and enterprising and indicated that he was amenable to working in the social services although he felt that by doing so he would not be living up to his parents’ expectations for him. In this regard, John appeared to be torn and obviously needed some time to process this information. At this point it appears that the client’s parents are unwittingly at fault here. His parents will be contacted with the hope that they can be advised of the problem and perhaps take a more active and supportive role in helping the client choose and pursue a career that matches his interest, intelligence and abilities. The client’s parents will be advised to talk to the client about career choices and advise him that he does not have to be a doctor to be successful. The client’s parents need to reassure him that whatever career he chooses, provided it is legal, they will be behind him one hundred percent. At this point this counselor provided John with links to websites for career assessment tools so that he could conduct further self-evaluations. He was also provided with links to websites on social work and other related professions such as teaching so that he could gain some insight into the kind of work entailed and how it might appeal to him. These web sites were also important for providing John with information about qualifying for those kinds of jobs so that he could if, he decided to follow this path, begin to take steps for gaining entrance into those fields. John was also advised to speak to his parents about his career possibilities and to find out whether or not they were flexible about it rather than assuming that they were expecting him to become a medical doctor. Having regard to the fact that John is 18 years old and is in his final year of high school, a follow-up session needs to be organized as soon as possible. This counselor believes that a session with John should be conducted in no more than two weeks. This should give him time to consult the websites provided and for him. If John decides to pursue a career in teaching or social work he will have to be prepared and qualified for a post-secondary education. Therefore at the follow-up session, he will be asked to take a college readiness assessment test in order to determine what steps he will need to take to meet the academic requirements for college admission. Works Cited Drummond, RJ (2010). Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Holland Code Quiz (n.d,.) http://www.roguecc.edu/counseling/HollandCodes/test.asp IQTest.com (n.d.) Retrieved November 28, 2010, from http://IQTest.com/faq.html Jung Typology Test (n.d.) retrieved November 29, 2010 from: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp True Colors Personality Test (n.d.) Retrieved November 29, 2010 from http://www.true-colors-test.com/ Read More