What is Career Counselling and Why is it Important?
From the time we are young, people constantly ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. As adults when we meet a new person, one of the first questions we get asked is, “What do you do?”.
Our professions have the ability to greatly impact our identity and the trajectory of our lives. When trying to make the decision about what career to pursue, career counselling is an extremely beneficial tool. Students usually begin to decide what their future career should be when they enter 9th grade. Many educational boards require students to pick subjects for their 9th and 10th grades that can limit or direct their potential career options going forward. Career counselling is as effective for clients who are looking to apply to university, looking for their first job or even a change in career.
In a career counselling session, the therapist meets with the client, and if the client is a child, their parents as well. Initially, information is gathered, regarding the client’s academic performance, interests, aptitudes, intelligence, financial background, goals, and dreams. We do this to develop a deeper understanding of what the client may be capable of and what areas hold their interest. It is important to understand that the therapist is not there to tell the client what career they should pursue, but rather help to facilitate the decision and to help the client to achieve their dreams.
The Empathy Centre uses a novel approach to career counselling. We start at the end. For example, if a client tells us they want to become a doctor, we start there and work our way back to where they currently are. Essentially it’s like starting in the centre of a maze and working our way to the entrance. The reason we use this approach is that many clients and students have a tendency to only be able to think one or two steps ahead. This means they may pick incorrect subjects, or make decisions that do not facilitate their end goals. To learn more about our methods, please click HERE.