CAREER COUNSELLING

What is Counselling? Counselling is a therapeutic relationship between a qualified counsellor and the client. It is both professional and intentional. In difficult circumstances, family members and friends are unable to provide an objective point of view. Counselling offers this objective perspective, thus enabling the client to gain insights and strategies to assist in managing their particular situation. Counselling usually takes place on a one-to-one basis: A counsellor and client will normally sit with one another for an hour to discuss any relevant issues which are presented by the client. The counselling process involves a 'getting to know you' period just like any new relationship. The client is able to choose a counsellor and counselling style which is best suited to their particular situation. In order to make the counselling process as comfortable as possible, you may request either a male or female counsellor. The counsellor and client play an equal role in the counselling process. There is no 'expert' in a counselling relationship. The counsellor’s intention is to make the counselling process both safe and supportive.

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Career counseling, career guidance and career coaching are similar in nature to other types of counseling or coaching, e.g. marriage or psychological counseling. What unites all types of professional counseling is the role of practitioners, who combine giving advice on their topic of expertise with counseling techniques that support clients in making complex decisions and facing difficult situations. The focus of career counseling is generally on issues such as career exploration, career change, personal career development and other career related issues.
Around the globe, countless definitions, concepts and terminology exist for career counseling - particularly due to cultural and linguistic differences.^[1] This even affects the most central term counseling (or: counselling in British English) which is often substituted with the word guidance as in career guidance. For example, in the UK, career counseling would usually be referred to as careers advice or guidance. Due to the widespread reference to both career guidance and career counseling among policy-makers, academics and practitioners around the world, references to career guidance and counselling are becoming common.^[2] Accordingly, this article emphasizes a broad understanding of career counseling which involves a variety of professionals activities commonly associated with career counseling, guidance, coaching, and advise.

                          Benefits of Career Counseling

Professional career counselors can support people with career-related challenges in many ways (see above). Through their expertise in career development and labor markets, they can put a person's qualification, experience, strengths and weakness in a broad perspective taking into consideration their desired salary, personal hobbies and interests, location, job market and educational possibilites. Through their counselling and teaching abilities, career counselors can additionally support people in gaining a better understanding of what really matters for them personally, how they can plan their careers autonomously, or help them in making tough decisions and getting through times of crisis. Finally, career counselors are often capable of supporting their clients in finding suitable placements/ jobs, in working out conflicts with their employers, or finding the support of other helpful services.
It is due to these various benefits of career counseling that policy-makers in many countries of the world publicly fund guidance services. For example, the European Union understands career guidance and counseling as an instrument to effectively combat social exclusion and increase citizens' employability.

           Professional Activities relating to Career Counseling

Career counseling or career guidance includes a wide spread of professional activities which focus on supporting people in dealing with career-related challenges - both preventively and in difficult situations (such as unemployment). Career counselors work with people from various walks of life, such as adolescents seeking to explore career options, experienced professionals contemplating a career change, parents who want to return to the world of work after taking time to raise their child, or people seeking employment. Career counselling is also offered in various settings, including in groups and individually, in person or by means of digital communication.
Several approaches have been undertaken to systemize the variety of professional activities related to career guidance and counseling. In the most recent attempt, the Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling in Europe (NICE) - a consortium of 45 European institutions of higher education in the field of career counseling - has agreed on a system of professional roles for guidance counselors. Each of these five roles is seen as an important facet of the career guidance and counselling profession. Career counselors performing in any of these roles are expected to behave professionally, e.g. by following ethical standards in their practice. The NICE Professional Roles (NPR) are:^[3]

• The Career Educator "supports people in developing their own career management competences"
• The Career Information & Assessment Expert "supports people in assessing their personal characteristics and needs, then connecting them with the labour market and education systems"
• The Career Counsellor "supports individuals in understanding their situations, so as to work through issues towards solutions"
• The Programme & Service Manager "ensures the quality and delivery of career guidance and counselling organisations' services"
• The Social Systems Intervener & Developer "supports clients (even) in crisis and works to change systems for the better"

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What is the process of counselling?

We’ve all heard stories about counselling. We have probably heard our families or friends say that counselling is only for mentally unsound individuals or that we should avoid going to counsellors unless it’s a crisis. Obviously, it raises many doubts in our minds about what to expect from a counsellor. Though we may need someone to talk to, we are not sure about who to meet or what a counsellor does. These doubts are valid and can only be cleared if we take some time to become aware of what counselling is and what it is not. This helps not only to clarify the myths that are attached to counselling. Morever, everyone has a right to know what happens in the counselling process.
Counselling is not a magical or mysterious service but a very real and people-oriented service. Listed below are the steps that actually occur when we meet a counsellor to help you understand what counselling is all about.

1. We make the choice to go to a counsellor.
2. We go to a counsellor after finding him/her online or through word of mouth.
3. The counsellor and the client meet.
4. This is the stage in which a counselling relationship is built: the client and counsellor meet for a session and get to know each other more. The client decides whether they their counsellor is the right fit for them or not. The counsellor uses this opportunity to understand the client better.
5. At this stage, the counsellor will take important details of the client (like the client’s personal, family and job history) and explain the counselling process and its guidelines. The counsellor will also establish confidentiality of the sessions.
6. After the initial stage is complete, the actual counselling session begins. A good counsellor is someone who listens, does not judge and who helps the client feel understood.
7. During the counselling process, the client talks about his/her problem and the counsellor asks questions and listens as the client narrates his/her story.
8. A counselling session lasts anywhere between forty five minutes to an hour. The counsellor decides (sometimes with the client) how many sessions are necessary to help the client with the problem at hand.
9. The counsellor and client together chart a plan of action so that they can work together to take productive action.
10. Since counselling is a two-way process, the client also has to commit to the counselling process and what it requires him/her to do.
11. The counsellor spends time guiding the client to arrive at a solution for the problem without advising or suggesting possible solutions. Sometimes, the goal of counselling might also be to increase self-awareness, insight or personal growth.
12. Once the plan of action has been implemented or change has occurred which the client is comfortable with, the counselling process is terminated.
13. Counsellors can call for follow-up sessions to check if the client is doing well and is progressing as per plan. If not, these follow-up sessions are used to work with the client some more if he/she is still having trouble functioning.

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