Career Counseling
Are you feeling burnt out or frustrated at your current job?
Do you feel like you are just working for a paycheck and not for a passion?
Is it time for a change, but you feel stuck and overwhelmed by the thought of changing careers?
Has your job stopped feeling meaningful or fulfilling?
Do you feel unsupported by your manager or teammates?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, it may be time for you to reassess your career path.
Finding, pursuing or changing your career in life can be a difficult and daunting process. And with the current state of our job culture and overall climate with the pandemic, it has become even more challenging. But much like any other challenge in life, it can be made easier and more manageable with the help and support of a professional – someone who can offer resources, tools and helpful coping skills to get you through any career challenge.
If you are struggling in your current career, seeking the help of a licensed therapist for career counseling could be the perfect option for you. Career counseling can either help you to adapt in a healthy way to the job you are currently at or assist you in searching for your most fulfilling career option that you haven’t yet discovered.
Career Counseling
What is it?
Career counseling is a service offered to clients who are struggling with their job or purpose in their career. The purpose of career counseling is to help the individual find the most fulfilling, meaningful, satisfying and financially beneficial career. In order to successfully support the client in this way, the counselor works closely with their clients, getting to know them and their strengths and weaknesses, skills, passions and experiences. With the depth of their knowledge, they help their clients to seek out and pursue careers available to them. In addition to helping their clients with finding new career paths, career counselors help hone in on and build the client’s existing skills. They help the client to recognize their strengths and help them to gain confidence in themselves and their abilities.
The general population in our country spends a third of their life at work. If you are unhappy with your job or are working at a position that isn’t what’s best for you, that is one third of your life being wasted. Job stress has the power and ability to lead to more serious conditions like anxiety and depression and can impact your quality of life greatly. It’s important to take your job and career decisions seriously, as they do have such great bearing over your satisfaction with life.
Who provides career counseling?
While many types of professionals can offer career counseling of some variation, some licensed therapists and other mental healthcare providers have specific training and qualification in the area of career counseling. Professional career counselors are qualified and trained with a specific set of skills and resources to best help you.
At Insight Northwest Counseling we have multiple licensed therapists who specialize in several areas including career counseling. In your therapy sessions with them they will be able to offer you support in many areas of difficulty that you face, as well as supporting you through the challenges of your career; whether that be a level of unhappiness in your current job or the challenges of finding a career path that fulfills you.
In career counseling, your therapist will:
Help identify your strengths and weaknesses
Offer ways to cope positively with your current situations
Assist you in creating resumes and cover letters or prepare for interviews
Collaborate with you to form a strategic plan in how to pursue the career you want
Provide referrals to resources such as job training opportunities
Identify and suggest career possibilities and educate you on each option
Help you get to the root of what your passion is and what you truly want to do
Career counselors are there to help and support you through your journey with your current career, or support you in exploring your dreams, goals and aspirations for a future career.
Who should seek career counseling?
Career counseling serves many purposes. It provides you with support and encouragement in identifying what your goals and aspirations are, helps you to tap into the resources and options around you, encourages you to turn your plans into action and execute your decisions and it can also serve as a safe place to process any challenges you are facing in your current position to improve your satisfaction and contentment in life where you’re at.
If you are experiencing any of the following feelings, it would be a great time to explore career counseling:
Feeling unhappy or unmotivated at your current job
Having challenges or issues with the people you work with
Dreading attending work or participating in anything work-related
Generally feeling unfulfilled or that you are not serving your greater purpose
Having goals and dreams in mind that you want to achieve, but don’t know how
Moving from job to job frequently and unable to find what feels like the best “fit”
In addition to all of the circumstances listed above, career counseling is an incredible resource for those who are just entering the transition from full-time education to the career world OR re-entering further education after being in a career long term. Both transitions can be extremely difficult and overwhelming, but counseling can help you to manage all the uncertainties and moving parts in either transition.
If you are making the decision to begin the path of college education, career counseling can help you establish things like financial aid, or how you will be paying for college, your class schedule, learning about courses and which are best for you, deciding if online or in-person learning is best for you, understanding the academic calendar and much more.
Focuses of Career Counseling
1. Career stress and discontent
Many people struggle in their jobs. Whether it be the struggle to find meaning or purpose within your job, or constant conflict or unhappiness with people you work with/for – stress and unhappiness at your job is not uncommon. While it seems like the obvious or “easy” answer to find a new job, that isn’t always the best answer, OR it may not even be an option. Instead of “white knuckling it” and tolerating discontent at your job, you could instead seek the help of career counseling to help you cope with your struggles and even find joy and meaning in your work.
In career counseling, you will be supported in finding ways to manage the challenges you’re facing. You’ll be offered coping skills and techniques that make your struggles feel manageable. You will also be assisted in exploring helpful communication styles and tools to better communicate with your co-workers or superiors. Learning how to cope with the relationships in your workplace can help to relieve significant amounts of stress. If you’re struggling to find meaning and purpose in your job, your therapist will help you to take a deep dive into yourself to identify what might be missing and ways to find those qualities in your job.
2. Career exploration
If you are in the position of wanting to change careers or begin a new one – it can be incredibly overwhelming and uncertain. The world is big and the opportunities and directions you can choose to go seem endless. If you haven’t discovered your true “calling” or what career path feels most aligned with your wants, needs and skillset, career counseling can help you do just that. Career counseling is a place to help you to identify your current skills and abilities and guide you in the right direction or career path for you. Your therapist will help to prepare you for what each career option might look like or what careers you might be the best candidate for.
3. Career application
Knowing your direction and what you want to do is a huge hurtle in establishing a career. But once you are clear on your direction, what job you want, or which career path feels best to you, you have to be able to obtain it. In career counseling, your therapist be able to educate you on marketing yourself to best suit the job or career you are applying for and help you to know how to network in a comfortable and successful way.
Professional Counseling
If you are facing challenges in your current job, feel ready for a transition or change or are needing guidance and support in what the “next step” looks like for you, career counseling would be an incredibly beneficial place to begin. If you are interested in seeking career counseling or counseling for other mental health challenges, please contact us today to schedule an appointment.
We are here for you.