If you are seeking help in your career, needing career counselling? 

Whether that’s a new career direction or finding a new job, you may think about getting some help.  But from whom?

 Remember back at school there was a career guidance counsellor, or career advisor or guidance officer?  Well, now there are career specialists in private practice who can help you with your career questions and assist you if you are feeling stuck in your career.

 While many go by the generic name of career coach, ideally if you are looking at your future direction and wanting to choose a way forward in your career and/or change career, a career counsellor is your best choice?

 Unlike a career coach who may have worked in HR, recruitment, have conducted interviews or written resumes and then moved into career coaching, a career counsellor has counselling skills and has often studied psychology, career counselling, career development or a combination of these.   They are well placed to be able to help their client to delve into areas of importance such as values, personality, strengths, skills, talents, interests, drivers and much more and often are skilled and /or accredited in the use of career assessments, tools and resources that they have access to.

 A career counsellor or career practitioner often belongs to an accredited body or professional association (eg in Australia, CICA or CDAA) and has professional standards and continuing professional development to undertake.  They are also connected into resources and knowledge that helps their clients with information regarding labour market statistics, market projections, salaries for different roles etc.  

 A career counsellor is often a specialist in helping you figure out what you want to do in the future, by aligning who you are, with what you can do for work.  It is rather a big question – it generally involves a process of information gathering, introspection and reflection, gentle teasing out of thoughts, ideas and reservations and the building of a picture of what the client desires. There is then a blending of career counselling and career coaching in planning out actions and steps for you to move towards your desired future career.

 Counselling skills are highly valued in career counselling, as there is the need for attentive listening, questioning, keeping a client centred focus and being present or “holding the space” for the client as they share their stories and unravel what’s important to them.  There can be upset when working with personal details about work and career.  For some people, they may have been told that their role is being made redundant. For others, there is the loss of a previous career such as an athlete or physical performer who needs to transition to a new career.

 At Career Wisdom, Principal Lois Keay-Smith is both a Masters qualified career counsellor (helping you work out what you want to do) and a career coach – helping you with a strategy and planning actions to get where you want to go.

 Looking for a career counsellor to help you find your career? Contact us to find out more to work 1:1 with a career counsellor in Perth, or via a Zoom session from anywhere in Australia or internationally. 

Contact us today to learn more.