Career Counseling and Coaching
Serving Clients from the Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia metropolitan areas.
I offer tele-counseling as well as in-person counseling.
What is the difference between career counseling and career coaching?
Do I need a career counselor or a career coach? I am often asked this question. My answer is that career counselors are the best career coaches available. In my practice I use the terms career counseling and career coaching interchangeably. Career counseling/coaching is a process to help a person identify and accomplish goals in the world of work while also taking into consideration the whole person’s needs, wishes, dreams, interests, personality preferences and lifestyle.
What kind of counseling/coaching model do you use?
I specialize in goal oriented, solution-based career counseling using a collaborative, empathic, integrative and dynamic model. I create an individualized career plan just for you. I help you identify and prioritize your concerns and collaboratively we set an immediate goal and a long term goal. I devise strategies to help you reach each goal. I assess you informally in a question and answer format, and formally I administer the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory, the Self Directed Search Interest Inventory, the Knowdell Care Values Card Sort, and the Knowdell Motivated Skills Card Sort.
What are some typical career concerns?
Some (but not all) of the career counseling issues I have helped people with over my twenty-five years of experience are:
- Career Exploration
- Career Identification
- Career Change
- Career Management
- Career Advancement
- Job Search Strategies
- Networking
- Interviewing Techniques
- Salary negotiations
- Strategies for resume revision, portfolio development
- Developing a reference list
- Guidelines for writing cover letters
- Entering the work force for the first time
- Re-entering the workforce
- Retirement planning
- Retirement adjustment
- Occupation versus Avocation
- Occupational Outlook
- Coping with Job loss
- Dealing with difficult people in the workplace
- Finding a new job while in your present job
What distinguishes you from many other career counselors/coaches?
I have a unique advantage because I am a mental-health-trained career counselor who is able to work with emotional issues that often accompany career counseling such as:
- Job loss and the accompanying fear, sadness, and anxiety that may occur
- Entering or re-entering the workforce after a separation or divorce and the feelings of low self-esteem, anger, fear and sometimes depression that surface
- Career change which may be exciting and frightening at the same time
- Job relocation to another city, state, or country: the emotional effects on the family and the individual
- International career/education experiences and possible cultural shock and re-entry shock
- Networking strategies and coping with lack of confidence, anxiety
- Office politics and getting along with difficult people in the workplace
- Stress Reduction techniques
- Retirement Planning and devising a new plan to bring meaning into your life
- Retirement Adjustment: making new friends, enjoying more leisure time, maintaining self esteem
How can you help me?
- I provide you with an honest, empathic, encouraging, and caring relationship in a safe, private and confidential office setting.
- We will collaborate to devise a personal plan that lists and prioritizes your career concerns.
- Together we set goals that are specific, manageable, attainable, realistic and timely.
- We will focus on your existing strengths and present needs.
- Strategies and resources will be identified to help you meet your goals and achieve a positive outcome from your counseling.
- I have a record of positive outcomes in helping clients clarify and/or attain their career goals.