Counseling adults in transition

Counseling adults in transition

The study is purposely done on the first year pupils and teaching staff in Southern England to understand the experience they have been through. The lens of the transition theory is employed in this study. Data is collected and recorded on 50 participants who have survived a whole academic year with the aim of understanding how they transited through various experiences. Data collection is done through pre and post-interviews. The phenomenographical approach develops several themes that are described in chapters six and seven. The content covered in this chapter includes the thesis, outcome space for pupils and teaching staff, research procedure, data analysis, input in the field of study, drawbacks, and the recommendations for further study.

Conclusion

The theoretical base for this paper is the Transition theory by Nancy Schlossberg, which explains the patterns observed during the data collection period. The definition in chapter still holds that the theory views the transition as an integrated way of engaging in the transition process regardless of whether they move out, in, or through the situation. Navigation through a transition is defined by Anderson, Goodman, and Schlossberg (2012), in three steps. First, one has to approach transitions by identifying the transit, and how much it will change the person’s life as well as their position in the transition process. Secondly, the 4S system can be employed to assist an individual in navigating through transitions. Also, an individual should take charge of resources, which can be viewed as assets of a successful transition.

As discussed in chapter three, the 4S’s represent the situation, self, support, and the strategies that can aid in explaining the transition theory. A situation can be understood through the examination of elements such as the trigger for a particular transition, the timing the source, or level of control over the situation whether a role change is involved, the duration of the transition previous experience with similar transition, concurrent stress, and one’s assessment of whether a transition is positive or negative. Secondly, ‘the self,’ is defined in terms of assets and liabilities, which include an understanding of one’s characteristic and psychological resources (socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual orientation, age and stage of life, state of health). Support varies according to an individual, and it includes relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, organization, and even institutions. In line with Anderson, Goodman, and Schlossberg (2012), Strategies, on the other hand, can be viewed in three categories; responses are modifying the primary cause of strain, responses controlling the meaning of the problem and responses that help the individual to manage stress. According to Schlossberg, Waters, and Goodman (1995 p.57), the ration of assets to liabilities is useful in explaining as to why individuals will react differently to the same type of transition at different times.

The purpose of the study was to get an understanding of how the transition takes place in the secondary schools, and thus, there was no obligation to help in the transition process. The data was only collected on pupils who were already in school. The information obtained during the interviews was used to analyze the coping measures employed by the individuals during the transition periods. The impact of Schlosberg’s theory in helping to explain the patterns observed during data collection cannot be overlooked, whereby, this conclusion section includes a focus on the situation, the self, support provided, and the method of approaching transitions.

References

Anderson, M. L., J. Goodman, et al. (2012). Counseling adults in transition: Linking Schlossberg’s theory with practice in a diverse world. New York, NY, Springer Publishing Company.