The Effect of a Group Career Counseling Program in Crystallizing Professional Tendencies of Persons with Mild Mental Disabilities

Abstract

The current study aims to identify the impact of a group career counseling program in crystallizing vocational interests of persons with mild intellectual disabilities. To achieve the objectives of the study, a quasi-experimental approach was adopted. A purposefully selected sample of (20) students, aged 11-18 years, with mild intellectual disabilities from a private special education program in the capital of Jordan, Amman. A group vocational guidance program was delivered over 12 sessions, each 50 - minute long, two days a week. A vocational interest scale was developed and applied after verifying its validity and stability. The study reached a set of results, the most important of which is the great effect of career counseling programs in crystallizing vocational interests of people with mild intellectual. The study recommends implementing vocational guidance programs to raise the level of vocational interests of students with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, the study recommends providing these students with sufficient opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities, and utilizing modern technologies in training process of these students.

Keywords

• Group career counseling program, professional orientation, mild mental disability, Jordan