11/01/2024

Fostering Adaptive Career Beliefs in the Gifted Adolescent

By Caleb Cheavens

The early emergence of high abilities and a high IQ often signals a unique talent that sets some individuals apart, shaping how parents and educators support these gifted people. However, the term “gifted” can be misleading, as it does not capture the complex challenges that often accompany giftedness (Cass & Cavallaro, 2010; Lo, 2022). Recognizing these challenges is essential for providing effective support--especially for the social, emotional, and career development needs of gifted people. This case study illustrates how fostering adaptive career beliefs in gifted individuals can help them embrace their multipotentiality, balancing their interests and talents to achieve greater career satisfaction (Kurt, 2016; Lent, 2020).

Case Example

While working as a licensed professional counselor, I met Logan (pseudonym), a 13-year-old, cisgender, white male, after his parents referred him for career counseling. Raised in an affluent St. Louis suburb and educated in private schools, Logan struggled to choose a focus at the college-prep school where he had been accepted.

During an initial consultation that included Logan and his parents, I learned that he was a prolific but private artist, avoiding art in school due to a negative experience with a 6th grade art teacher. His parents noted ongoing challenges with emotional outbursts when he judged his own drawings harshly.

Logan’s school records showed a Full-Scale IQ of 142 (99th percentile). A Holland Code Assessment showed a relatively flat profile with top interests in Artistic, Investigative, and Conventional fields, suggesting that Logan had the capacity to develop talents across several occupational domains. Although Logan excelled in math, he found it "boring" and was reluctant to pursue a math-focused career. Both he and his parents saw STEM as the obvious path for him, with the main question being whether he would focus on mathematics, where he had a strong track record, or biology, a more recent interest.

During his intake, I conducted the Savickas Career Construction Interview. Logan expressed a strong interest in visual art and creative environments, though he quickly dismissed these pursuits as “fun, but not productive.” Logan's view of art as a hobby rather than a profession was partly shaped by his environment. Both parents had successful STEM careers, and his artistic abilities were largely ignored or criticized. Though his father was artistic, he treated it as a hobby, leaving Logan without a professional creative role model. Logan’s asynchronous development—where his math talent emerged early while his artistic skills developed more typically—further reinforced this mindset.

Expanding Choice Options

Despite Logan’s socio-economic privilege, his identity as a gifted individual with multipotentiality was overlooked, leading him to prematurely foreclose on a creative career, despite his clear interest in art. He needed career support to expand his options, strengthen his self-efficacy, and build positive outcome expectations. I combined Career Construction Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory to help Logan openly explore his assessment results without seeing them as fixed determinants on his career path (Del Corso & Rehfuss, 2011; Lent, 2020).

As I built rapport with Logan, I focused on practicing active listening and curiosity, encouraging him to explore new ideas and discussing his giftedness (Sallin, 2018). Logan shared that he knew he was different because of his IQ score and math talent, but didn’t fully understand what being gifted meant beyond that.

The following interventions draw on Logan’s assessment results, interests, values, observed behaviors, as well as feedback from parents and teachers, and aim to help him reopen his consideration of careers within the creative domain.

• Examine discrepancies between choice options from various measures, such as interests, values, and aptitudes. Gifted individuals often require a supportive approach that fosters multipotentiality, broadening perspectives and encouraging exploration (Kurt, 2016; Lent, 2020). I encouraged Logan to explore the disconnect between his self-reported lack of artistic aptitude and his measured interest in art.
• Gather information to provide new choice options. I shared job postings for artistic careers with Logan. I focused on postings that combined STEM and the arts (STEAM), such as Natural Science Illustrator, Certified Medical Illustrator, AutoCAD Designer, 3D Animator, Product Designer, Architect, and GIS Technician.

After several meetings, Logan was able to articulate a passion for art that he had not previously expressed. He shared that he was especially excited about the opportunity to work in a STEAM setting, though he was noticeably anxious about embracing this direction due to his low outcome expectations and negative self-efficacy beliefs.

Strengthening Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Building Positive Outcome Expectations

The following interventions helped Logan explore his self-efficacy beliefs (“I am bad at art”) and outcome expectations (“Art is a hobby, not a profession”).

• Use a modified vocational card sort to identify and challenge assumptions about career options.

Instructions for the modified card sort (Lent, 2020):

1. Sort occupations into:
   • Might choose
   • Definitely not
   • Unsure
2. For "definitely not" and "unsure," sort into:
   • Might choose if I had the skills (self-efficacy belief)
   • Might choose if it offered things I value (outcome expectation)
   • Wouldn’t choose under any circumstances (lack of interest)
   • Other (requires explanation)
3. Explore and challenge Logan’s assumptions about Logan’s self-efficacy and outcome expectations in the “Might Choose” piles

• Interventions that support positive self-efficacy beliefs and challenge existing outcome expectations.
  • I started each session with a creative brainstorming exercise to reinforce his belief that "I am creative" and foster a positive view of creative pursuits. I also provided Logan with information about career prospects for professional artists and helped him meet with an artist for feedback on his work. This led Logan to consider a new outcome expectation: "I might be able to make a living as an artist."
  •  I shared insights on common challenges faced by gifted individuals (Cass & Cavallaro, 2010), to help Logan see how his early emergence as a mathematician may have fueled negative beliefs about his artistic abilities. I also shared stories of other gifted individuals whose multipotentiality led to lifelong career development.
  • In a meeting with Logan and his parents, we discussed how exploring STEAM careers could benefit Logan. Introducing Logan’s artistic skills into his career exploration may lead to greater job satisfaction, improved leadership skills, and greater adaptability in the face of AI advancements (UCF Online, n.d.).
  • I recommended STEAM-focused social activities, like art camps or workshops, to boost Logan’s self-efficacy and expose him to peers with similar challenges and interests.

In our final meeting, Logan expressed awareness of his multipotentiality, saying, "I'm nervous but excited to explore ways to combine my math and art talents." His parents supported his decision to pursue a STEAM focus in school and appreciated guidance on how to assist his career development. I also provided them with contact information for mental health providers to support Logan's ongoing developmental and emotional needs.

Integrating Interventions to Embrace Gifts

Although gifted individuals may appear to have a natural advantage, their journey toward career and personal fulfillment comes with unique challenges related to their giftedness. The integrative approach described here shows how career service providers can foster adaptive career beliefs in the gifted adolescent, allowing them to embrace their talents without neglecting their interests. This balanced approach empowers gifted individuals to pursue a multipotential path that emphasizes their diverse abilities, ultimately leading to a richer and more satisfying career.

References

Cass, J., & Cavallaro, M. (2010). A world of possibilities: Career development for gifted students. Career Convergence. https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/27893/_self/CC_layout_details/false

Del Corso, J., & Rehfuss, M. C. (2011). The role of narrative in career construction theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(2). pp.334-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.04.003

Kurt, L. J. (2016). Career counseling for gifted students: Understanding student needs and strategies for success. Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications. 73.  https://ecommons.udayton.edu/edc_fac_pub/73

Lent, R. W. (2020) Career development and counseling: A Social cognitive framework. In S. Brown. &  R. W. Lent,  Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work, (pp.129–163). John Wiley & Sons. https://stelar.edc.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/c05_Lent%20%282021%29_1.pdf

Lo, I. (2022, Apr. 25). 9 career challenges faced by gifted adults. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-emotional-intensity/202204/9-career-challenges-faced-gifted-adults?amp

Sallin, J. H. (2018, Nov. 15). Supporting gifted people: Guidelines for therapists & coaches (and advice for gifted clients). Intergifted. https://intergifted.com/supporting-gifted-people/

UCF Online. (n.d.). Comparing STEM vs. STEAM: Why the arts make a difference. University of Central Florida. Retrieved October 22nd, 2024 from: https://www.ucf.edu/online/engineering/news/comparing-stem-vs-steam-why-the-arts-make-a-difference/
 

Caleb Cheavens, MEd, is a licensed professional counselor based in Columbia, Missouri. His clinical practice is focused on career-related stress and burnout recovery. He provides workplace leadership consultation and group change support to organizations with a focus on workplace wellness and the promotion of sustainable relationships between organizations and their members. Caleb can be reached via his website: lifeworkcounseling.com