The CPP Education Blog has moved to http://www.cppblogcentral.com/category/education-blog/. You will be redirected to the new blog.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Counseling to Type Strategies – Feeling (Part 1)


Written by Catherine Rains 

What are some strategies you can use to motivate a student who prefers Feeling to buy in to the career counseling process?  Here are a few suggestions:



  • Develop rapport before anything else! Although all students want a competent counselor, a Feeling preference wants a counselor they LIKE, even more. You could be the most competent counselor in the world, but if they don’t personally like you, your competence is irrelevant.  Students who prefer Feeling only want to work with a counselor with whom they feel a personal connection to, and where they perceive the counselor personally likes them in return.  So begin an appointment with this type of student by talking about who they are outside of the issues they are coming to see you for.  Taking the time to create a personal connection will go a long way for setting the stage for success with this type of student.
  • What do you value most? Since this is their top criteria in making a career decision, it is important to take the time to find out what is most important to them, and who might also be affected by the decisions that they are making.  Although students who prefer Feeling will easily use these criteria when making decision, we need to make sure they also consider Thinking criteria so that they have a balanced, well thought out decision.

We'll continue with a couple more suggestions on counseling to Feeling preferences next week. 
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, April 15, 2013

Counseling to Type Strategies – Intuition

Written by Catherine Rains 

 Moving onto Intuition, how is working with these students different than with students who prefer Sensing?  How do you get them to respond positively to the counseling process, particularly if you don’t have this preference yourself?

Here are some suggestions you might try: 

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm!  This preference loves to discuss possibilities around almost anything.  Asking them questions like “what would an ideal work day look like?”, or a similar open-ended, future focused question will open most Intuition preferences up to a long, enjoyable discussion about their career.  

Career lists are jumping off points for discussion.  The same concrete list of suggested careers that you gave a Sensing preference will seem limiting to the Intuition student unless you offer it as a jumping off point to discuss all the possible options available for someone with their personality preferences.  The list itself is simply the tip of the iceberg for what could be available. 

Review overall process.  A good place to start with an Intuition preference is to start with an overall description of the process that you will be taking them through, without getting into too many specific details. Then observe what part of the process they grab onto, or want to start discussing before you have even finished your description. This is where you begin the process, rather than at step 1, as you would do with Sensing.  An Intuition preference wants to jump into any process where they have an interest, so start the discussion where they show energy and excitement.

Show how things link together.  When helping an Intuition preference research options, help them find general information about the careers they are considering, and then help them see the pattern between all the options and what that could mean, or where it could lead them to next. 

Can anyone provide a concrete example or description of an appointment they had with a Intuition preference student?  What did the session look like?  What are YOUR best suggestions for working with a student with a Intuition preference?
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Surviving General Ed II: The One Reality in the Universe (for this semester, at least...)

Learning to Learn Series 
By Jim Larkin and Jack Powers

Let’s face it: if you hate your major coursework, you’ve probably picked the wrong major and can only blame yourself. However, everyone has a bit more license when it comes to hating general ed. After all, taking the course wasn’t your idea, and you’ll probably never revisit the subject matter in the professional world. Nevertheless, you still need to earn that ‘A’.
In our last Learning to Learn post, we talked about how our preferences for either Sensing (S) or Intuition (N) affect how we approach general ed, and specifically focused on how those preferring Sensing can become engaged by practically connecting the course and their career. This time we’d like to approach it from the point of view of someone preferring Intuition (N), who may also hit a wall in general ed, but for very different reasons.
Losing steam at the halfway point
As someone who prefers N, you’re likely the wide-eyed, ‘eager-to-learn for learning’s sake’ type, curious about a wide range of subjects and viewing them as an opportunity to expand your horizons. Naturally, you find the subject fascinating and dive into the course with relish. You don’t empathize with the grumbling ‘S’ sitting next to you, who can’t find a single positive thing to say about the experience.

But midway, faced with the first test or term paper, the realities of having to hit the books start to peel the shimmer from this exercise in horizon expansion. Halfway through the course you’re just as burned out as the grumbling ‘S’ -- stuck in a class that’s draining your time and energy, yet has nothing to do with your future career.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By understanding your own personality type, you can maintain your engagement in the course, and earn that ‘A’ that you need to get into your grad school of choice. As those with an ‘N’ preference tend to become aware of meanings and relationships beyond the information given, you can leverage your natural curiosity and ability to focus on the big picture and future possibilities to maintain peak academic performance.

Connect to the big picture
As someone who generally views things from the big picture, any means of connecting the course to your larger career goals, or to the person that you aspire to become, will help you maintain interest and plough through less-than-inspiring coursework.

For example, while certain subjects may not be relevant to your future career, the skills that you learn -- cognitive, communicative, logical -- may very well be. In most professions, knowledge of subject matter is only half the picture -- often you need to be able manage a team and run a business to achieve success.

Also, if you were at one point fascinated with the subject matter, chances are you can be fascinated with it again -- try to reconnect with what sparked your interest in the first place.  
Focus on the one reality in the Universe -- the here and now
As interest in the course wanes, it may be advisable to flex your preference for Intuition and adopt behaviors that come more naturally to those preferring Sensing. As Charleton Heston said in Planet of the Apes, there’s only one reality in the universe: we are here, and this is now.

In your case, the one reality in your universe may be that you need an ‘A’ in this course to get into the graduate program of your dreams. Reminding yourself of that will help motivate you to buckle down and study.  
Developing your brain
Rather than viewing it as developing a skill that you don’t necessarily need, think of it as developing a brain function that you very much do need. Sure, you may never have to calculate the velocity of a 30-pound falling rock against 60 MPH wind, but those same logical, calculative brain abilities may prove to be very valuable in other contexts.
Embrace the value of moving beyond theory
For Ns, some of the deflation may occur when you’re required to move beyond the general theory of a subject, and actually start to apply the learning in practical ways. For example, you may enjoy discussing concepts like gravity in a Physical Science course, yet intensely dislike having to work through any sort of equation.

You can combat this by continually reminding yourself that digging in and doing some of the “dirty work” so to speak, is also very much a part of your journey toward becoming a well-rounded person. How much more interesting of a person will you be when you’re the only one at the dinner party who understands how to calculate the mass of a star? 
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)