I love helping others make confident career decisions and one of those choices to make is who to work with for help. The internet is a hornet’s nest of information and it can be difficult to know what you’re really looking for. This post is to help you understand my credentials and some differentiators between someone like me and others out there.
My Background
So first, a bit of background. I got my Master of Science in Counseling in 2010 and have been working in career development since then. I’ve worked in higher education and am now working with clients privately as well. I don’t bill for insurance (just private pay) and don’t hold a state license. I do have my National Certified Counselor credential (NCC) which I maintain and just renewed again in 2020. To maintain this credential, I attend continuing education seminars, webinars, and conferences which total 100 CE hours within 5 years. I also adhere to the National Board of Certified Counselors code of ethics.
Being a trained counselor has been invaluable to me as I approach people holistically and seek to help the whole person through their career transitions. It was important to me to understand more about mental health so I could ask better questions, refer as needed and show empathy and care while talking about career choices, job stress and and meaningful work.
Where does coaching fit in?
I am partial to finding career professionals with this kind of background but it’s not the only people out there. Coaching is another area that people get credentials and enter the market as Career Coaches. This is a bit more of a gray area for what defines a coach. There are wellness coaches, health coaches, career coaches, executive coaches, etc. Each of those professionals could have any number of certifications, trainings or education. I was given the title of career coach in higher education and have identified with it in my approach in my business. I coach my clients through clearly identifying the career problem and map out how to solve it.
You can make a confident choice about who is right for you by considering the following questions:
What do they talk about? Check their social media, articles on LinkedIn or a blog, newsletter etc.
Have they helped people like you? Look at their website for testimonials or do a quick call to get a sense of who else they’ve worked with.
What’s the investment? Good coaches will charge comparably for their services. This can vary widely. I suggest working with someone who charges per session so neither of you are in a long expensive commitment. Inquire with them. Most have a way to connect with them in FB messenger, on their website or access to their calendar. You can do that with me here.
A Certified Career Counselor
What is the Certified Career Counselor (CCC) credential?
According to the National Career Development Association, this credential is is a recognition of counseling and a specialization in career development, theory and practice. It is intended for career counselors with an advanced degree engaged primarily in a career counseling practice.
The most important aspect of this credential that differentiates it from other recognized practitioners is that it recognizes the intersection of counseling and career development. As other counseling specializations include substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling, family counseling and others, career counseling involves a core set of competencies that bring together counseling and career expertise.
NCDA
These competencies are
- A core understanding and appropriate application of theory
- Adherence to ethical counseling practice
- The ability to identify and understand familial and cultural influences as they relate to clients’ careers.
- Expertise in evaluating and selecting valid and reliable instruments appropriate to the client’s gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and physical and mental capacities; administer, score, and report findings from career assessment instruments appropriately
- Demonstrating knowledge of education, training, and employment trends; labor market information and resources that provide information about job tasks, functions, salaries, requirements and future outlooks
In Conclusion
With my background in counseling and strengths-based education, I bring a positive approach to career problems. In collaboration with the client, I engage in a meaningful discussion on goals and career problems. I ask probing questions for the purpose of helping establish goals with the client. In our work together, I commit to helping the client identify a strategy to address the agreed upon problem. A client can expect to have next steps and, with commitment to the process, should see improvement of certain career behaviors. I am not a recruiter and cannot guarantee job placement or employment success. I don’t provide mental health counseling and ethically uphold confidentiality.
Interested in working with me? I invite you to read more posts and get one of my free resources to get a feel for my approach. If you’d like to talk with me directly, let’s get on the calendar.
P.S. Want more ideas of choosing a career counselor? How to Find or Choose a Career Counselor