Dr. Higgins has over 14 years of experience as a Career Development Professional in community and university settings. Through her supervision and development of career consultants at the University of Georgia Career Center, Dr. Higgins developed her passion for providing professional development for career development professionals. Her coordination of the office’s diversity and inclusion efforts led to her being recognized as a leader in the career services field. Dr. Higgins offers consulting to career development professionals at colleges and universities. She is a frequent diversity and inclusion speaker for national and state career development professional associations. Invite Dr. Higgins to your next meeting, training, conference or virtual event!
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Career Services
Reflecting larger trends in the American population, college demographics are ever-changing. Proportions of students who were once considered underrepresented or “minorities” are now growing and will soon be the majority. Career services professionals are on the front line and must be equipped to appreciate the diversity of students while also understanding and addressing the challenges they face relating to inclusion and equity in the workplace.
In this session, Dr. Higgins will share how diversity, inclusion, and equity impact our students and our work as career development professionals. Dr. Higgins will reveal skills and strategies to:
*Support students in identifying and pursuing their career goals and aspirations
* Recognize ways to modify the delivery of career services to reflect inclusivity of all students
* Advocate for students in search of equitable workspaces as they transition from college to the workforce.
Ethical Considerations for Multicultural Competency in Career Development Work
Career development professionals, frequently serve clients with different identities and experiences. But, how often do we think about the impact of our own individual identities and values on our work with clients? How often do we pay attention to the clients’ needs based on their identities? As a part of our professional practice and ethical commitment, we should give attention to being multiculturally competent. Multicultural competency entails having the awareness, knowledge, and skills to engage our clients based upon their identities, values, and experiences.
During this session, Dr. Higgins will help you develop the awareness, knowledge, and skills to:
* Become aware of how your identity creates the lens for interacting with others
* Develop an understanding and appreciation for others’ identities
* Recognize barriers to multicultural competency such as unconscious bias, inequalities, inequities, and microaggressions
* Understand the professional and ethical implications related to multicultural competency
* Identify ethical decision-making models that guide practice when thinking about your personal and professional identities and serving clients
