Date of Graduation

5-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Higgins, Kristin K.

Committee Member

Collet, Vicki S.

Second Committee Member

Vire, Keith D.

Third Committee Member

Adams, Justin J.

Keywords

career construction; career counseling; chronic illness; rehabilitation counseling; vocational rehabilitation

Abstract

People living with chronic illness face significant challenges when it comes to finding and maintaining employment. There is ample research available that discussed the challenges and barriers to employment for this population. However, there is a lack of research devoted to interventions dedicated to assisting people with chronic illness in career exploration and development. This study attempted to address one possible intervention to assist people with chronic illness identify and pursue possible careers. The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of participating in the Career Construction Interview on the career exploration of individuals facing a forced career transition due to the onset or exacerbation of a chronic illness. A qualitative instrumental multiple case study design was used, specifically a collective case study with an explanatory design. Three females with chronic illness participated in this study and completed four interviews. In answering the research questions, eight open codes fitting into two categories were discovered and five axial codes, also known as themes, were determined. Results from this study found that the Career Construction Interview was helpful to the participants in assisting them with making decisions about potential careers and options for employment.

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