ABSTRACT
Workforce reentry can be a more significant transition for certain populations. Veterans and their families deal with a significant cultural shift as well as challenges faced while moving into the civilian workforce. Additionally, career counselors must deal with the unique transitions of people who were previously incarcerated by helping them reduce pathways toward reincarceration and increase opportunities in a new life. With prejudice and barriers for people who were in prison, gaining meaningful employment can be a secondarily punishing process. Another category of career seeker that must deal with significant transition are those that are new to the US workforce as a result of recent immigration or due to their migration as refugees. Though transitioning into the US workforce is a theme across these populations, working with these individuals provide unique challenges and rewards for the career counselor. Counselors help clients from these transitioning backgrounds to understand their own identities (both previous and current) as well as how these identities may impact their career choices. By empowering clients who served in the military, who were formerly incarcerated, and who recently immigrated, counselors can help them successfully transition to new career paths and life journeys.
