xi, 87 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of this dissertation study was to adapt, deliver, and experimentally test the effectiveness of a research-based, employment-focused group counseling intervention (OPTIONS) that was designed to improve male inmates' ability to secure employment upon release from prison. The intervention curriculum and study were modeled after similar interventions with battered (Chronister & McWhirter, 2006) and incarcerated women (Chartrand & Rose, 1996). The OPTIONS program was grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994, 2000) and comprised of all critical intervention components identified as contributing to positive career intervention outcomes (Brown & Krane, 2000). In addition, the OPTIONS intervention consisted of 5 weekly group sessions, which lasted 120 minutes, and each group was comprised of 6-7 male inmates. The intervention focused on various aspects of the job preparation process such as identifying necessary skills, obtaining information about different types of jobs, practicing for job interviews, and learning how to utilize social support. Study participants included 77 (n = 38 treatment, n = 39 control) adult male inmates housed at the Oregon Department of Corrections medium security release facility, the Oregon State Correctional Institute (OSCI) in Salem, OR. This study utilized a randomized block design, with between subjects and within subjects measurements at pretest, posttest, and one month follow-up. Participants were blocked based upon age and release date, and then randomly assigned to a wait-list treatment as usual control group or the OPTIONS treatment intervention group. Outcomes measured were job search self-efficacy (Career Search Self-Efficacy Scale, Solberg, Good, & Nord, 1994), perceived problem solving ability (Problem Solving Inventory, Heppner, 1988), and hopefulness (Hope Scale, Snyder et al., 1991). Data were analyzed using 2 (experimental group) x 2 (time) analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Results indicated that participants in the OPTIONS treatment intervention had higher career-search self-efficacy, problem solving, and hopefulness scores at posttest and follow-up than participants in the treatment as usual control group. This dissertation study was the first time a manualized, theory based employment preparation treatment intervention was adapted specifically for inmates preparing to release back to the community. / Committee in charge: Linda Forrest, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Krista Chronister, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Deanne Unruh, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Robert 0 Brien, Outside Member, Sociology

An estimated 1.5 million underemployed or unemployed college graduates have one or more college degrees, and many have high loan debt. Policy makers, students, and institutions of higher education are all concerned with the question of how prepared students are to enter the workforce upon graduation, yet little is known about whether internships are a strategy to improve career preparedness and gainful employment after graduation. Guided by Dewey and Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate the impact of internships on career preparation from the perspective of graduates, specifically to evaluate whether graduates perceive participation in an internship improved their level of career preparedness in human services related fields. Post-internship survey data were acquired from a group of 21 graduates using the Career Benefits of CO-OP/Internship Experience instrument who were enrolled in a degree program at various colleges and universities in southeastern Virginia. These data were analyzed using a paired t test to compare pre and post internship perceptions of career preparedness. Results indicate a statistically significant improvement between the pre-internship and post-internship perceptions (p = .05). Furthermore, the study offers support to the notion that experiential learning may impact career success. This result indicates that internships may have a positive impact on career progression and gainful employment after graduation. The positive social change implications of this study includes recommendations to policy makers and university leaders to construct academic programs that incorporate internship opportunities, particularly to promote overall student success and future gainful employment.