What Do Career and Educational Counselors Do?

When one thinks of counseling psychology they often think of personal issues, mental illness, and the like. However, another major area of counseling psychology is working in education and career development. While you may be someone, or know someone, who knows exactly what they want to do and be and how to get there, a great many people don't. In fact, most people struggle with choosing an area of study, choosing a profession, getting the education they need, or finding the path to their chosen career. This is where an educational or career counseling psychology comes in handy.

An educational counselor can be found at community colleges, universities, and even grade schools. These counselors work to assist students in meeting their personal academic or career related goals. Do you ever remember taking interest inventories in grade school or high school? These sorts of activities, along with a number of others, are used by counseling psychologists to assist in discussions about talents, interests, and personality traits that will help a student along in a certain educational or professional path.

As high school students seek to enter college, they can also turn to counselors to obtain information on majors, the best schools to meet their needs, and what they'll need to do in order to attend their school of choice (U.S Department of Labor, 2007). This assistance reduces some of the stress of the college application process, aids students in getting into the best college possible, and assures that students needs and concerns are addressed.

A career counselor can also work with students to with college by assisting them in planning a realistic and productive term and college career schedule. Furthermore, they can assist students in finding a job while in college, and career when they get out. Non-school related career counseling is generally done by career counselors from a private office, career center, or similar venue.

Similar to an educational counselor, career counselors evaluate individuals based on their personality, interests, and skills to match them with "the perfect" career. Not only are clients matched with careers, but their also assisted in finding a job. Job assistance includes resume writing assistance, skill enhancement counseling, and job support. Furthermore, career counseling psychologists counsel individuals on job loss, job stress, and transition issues (Department of Labor, 2007).

Today, America suffers from bank closures, stock market drops, and soaring prices; all of which have cost Americans dearly, and the unemployment rate isn't helping. Too bad few people know that educational and career counselors are available to assist them through their tough times. Take a Washington Mutual banker that found themselves out of work due to the recent sale of the company. A career counselor could aid them in finding a job that utilizes their banking experience, possibly even enhance their skills in order to make them more valuable to their next company. Assistance like this might save the individual from losing their home, or having to rely on government assistance in order to feed themselves or their family. Clearly, counseling psychologists are a bigger and more valuable resource than many people may have imagined.

References:

Department of Labor. (2007). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008 - 09 Edition. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm#nature

Gelso, C. & Fretz, B. (2001). Counseling Psychology, 2^nd Edition. Thomson Wadsworth. Belmont, CA.