Career Counseling

The average American changes careers seven times during their life. While previous generations viewed career changes as a negative attribute, todays workforce is far more dynamic and evolved. Gone are the days of choosing a position in which you would one day retire. Broad knowledge, innovation, and adaptability are the new norm.

The average American worker will spend 22.7% of their entire life at work. This is not including overtime or activities that are “for” work but don’t occur during our standard 40 hour work week. In other words, nearly one quarter of your life will be spent on the job. It’s obvious to see why choosing a career that fits with your personality, strengths, and interests is important. Likewise it shows us why we may feel so unfulfilled with our lives if we are not working in an area that we find engaging and satisfying.

Career counseling was developed in the early 1900s by Frank Parsons who authored the first literature on choosing a vocation. Since then the area of Career Counseling has expanded on Parsons theories, adding to our knowledge of what makes us happy in our careers. To facilitate in the determination of what career we will find most appealing a vast number of aptitude and personality tests have been developed to assist individuals as well as therapists in exploring posable occupations.

If you have been feeling like you are no longer getting satisfaction out of your job, have been suffering a sense of stagnation in your position, looking to increase your employability, or ready to make a career choice or change, Career Counseling can help guide you through what can often be a confusing and stressful time.

What to expect

When making your initial appointment at Noyau, let the office manager know that you are interested in Career Counseling so that you can be directed to one of our therapists that have specialized education and training to help you in your journey.

Because Career Counseling is unique to other types of therapy, sessions will focus primarily on your career, past and present. Interest inventories, personality assessments and aptitude tests may be administered. Some of these may have an additional fee associated with them, or your therapist may suggest various reading material that is equipped with self-assessments. Most items can be taken home to be completed and brought back into the office for scoring, examination, and explanation. These tests are widely used in vocational counseling and will give you and your therapist deeper insight into what positions will suit you best.

The therapist will also explore your preferences for various aspects of your work. For example determining what level of importance you place on the time of day you work verses the environment in which you work. Once your therapist has identified a set of priorities, it will be easier to narrow down those careers that pose the highest probability for fulfillment.

Results

Each client is unique in what they want to achieve through Career Counseling. Some want that big promotion that has been dangling in front of them for years, others know they will never be happy in their current career but have few ideas on how to make such a big change in their lives. Still other clients are searching for a career for the first time or have unexpectedly found themselves in a position to create a new path for their futures. Whatever the reason, Career Counseling offers a collaborative relationship between yourself and a specialized professional who is trained and experienced in vocational enhancement.