Vision Boards and Adolescent Career Counseling: A Culturally Responsive Approach

ABSTRACT

Researchers recently described vision boards as a creative tool that counselors and clients can use to promote communication and identification of future goals in a strengths-based and solution-focused way. Using the framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) the authors describe a method for using vision boards in educational settings to promote identity exploration, enhanced self-efficacy beliefs, and the development of career and educational aspirations for under-represented adolescents. The authors present a case example of middle school students from rural, low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds who created vision boards as part of a summer camp. Implications for the use of vision boards are discussed for counselors, counselor educators, and researchers.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational/career development
• under-represented youth
• social cognitive career theory
• vision boards
• school counseling
• creativity in counseling