Vocational Psychology and Assessment With Immigrants in the United States: Future Directions for Training, Research, and Practice

Abstract

Immigrants are vital members of U.S. society and are essential contributors to the U.S. labor force. Today, immigrants comprise a significant portion of the U.S. population, however, career assessment research has largely ignored their work experiences, and career counselors are not trained on the intricacies on the delivery of career counseling and assessment services with this population. In this article, the authors provide an overview of current immigration patterns in the United States. In addition, the authors evaluate the current state of vocational psychology research with U.S. immigrants and provide suggestions for future vocational research and practice with immigrants and professional training for career counselors in this area.

Academic and Career Development of Undocumented College Students: The American Dream?

“…Counseling with marginalized populations is a rich part of the heritage of career counseling (Juntunen & Even, ); however, in recent decades, the field has been criticized for overlooking some of its core values, specifically research and practice with disenfranchised groups (Blustein, ; Flores, Hsieh, & Hung, ). Recently, scholars have called for vocational counselors to focus on assisting marginalized populations, such as undocumented immigrants (Flores et al, ; Savickas & Baker, ).…”

“…Counseling with marginalized populations is a rich part of the heritage of career counseling (Juntunen & Even, ); however, in recent decades, the field has been criticized for overlooking some of its core values, specifically research and practice with disenfranchised groups (Blustein, ; Flores, Hsieh, & Hung, ). Recently, scholars have called for vocational counselors to focus on assisting marginalized populations, such as undocumented immigrants (Flores et al, ; Savickas & Baker, ). Counseling research examining the academic and work experiences of undocumented immigrants remains largely underrepresented in the counseling literature (Ellis & Chen, ), and scholars have called for researchers to use qualitative research methodologies to (a) explore the career development processes of immigrant youth and (b) study the depth and complexity of the work experiences of undocumented immigrants (Flores et al, ).…”

“…Recently, scholars have called for vocational counselors to focus on assisting marginalized populations, such as undocumented immigrants (Flores et al, ; Savickas & Baker, ). Counseling research examining the academic and work experiences of undocumented immigrants remains largely underrepresented in the counseling literature (Ellis & Chen, ), and scholars have called for researchers to use qualitative research methodologies to (a) explore the career development processes of immigrant youth and (b) study the depth and complexity of the work experiences of undocumented immigrants (Flores et al, ). Aligned with these calls to action, the current study used a multiple case study approach to explore societal, contextual, cultural, and personal factors that contribute toward the academic and vocational development of undocumented college students.…”

A Call for Career Educators to Recommit to Serving First-Generation and Immigrant College Students: Introduction to Special Issue

“…The articles in this issue represent scholarly inquiries on FG students and immigrant students, recognizing these intersecting identities may often overlap for some students. Just as Parsons and his colleagues served the immigrant groups of the 20th century, today’s educators are called upon to support the various marginalized populations of the 21st century (Flores, Hsieh, & Chiao, 2011; Hartung & Blustein, 2002; Pope, Briddick, & Wilson, 2013; Stebleton & Aleixo, 2016). The purpose of this introductory article is to establish the groundwork for the following main articles—providing context, definitions, and issues that influence the student populations under study.…”

Experiences of Foreign-Born Immigrant, Undergraduate Women at a U.S. Institution and Influences on Career–Life Planning

“…Gaining a more thorough understanding of immigrant populations allows career development professionals to serve as agents of change who can better serve the diverse needs and issues of immigrant individuals (Flores, Hsieh, & Hung, 2011; Kantamneni et al, 2016b; Stebleton & Eggerth, 2012). Moreover, serving marginalized populations allows for ensuring economic stability for individuals and families that are historically underserved in a variety of contexts including higher education.…”