Are you confused about the differences between a "Career Counselor" and a "Career Coach?" Here is an explanation to help clear up this confusion.
• Career counselors usually help you with the larger questions about your career and your life . For example, Dr. Sain helps you explore & document your skills and abilities; understand what motivates you; and see how your interests play a role in your career selection. Most of her clients come to her under stress and are confused about what they should be doing in their work life. Her counseling skills are key to helping reduce the stress and assisting the client to focus more easily. Once less stressed, the client has more energy to set goals and take action steps.
• Career Coaches spend minimal, if any, time exploring your career needs. They tend to follow more of a business rather than counseling model, and the education and training needed to be a Coach are much more abbreviated than that of a Counselor. There are no professional regulatory organizations and the quality of training and coaching vary widely.
• A Career Counselor should never ask you for upfront fees and instead take payment at each session. Thus, you only pay for the meetings you have, not for potential meetings that may or may not happen. Coaches often work on a "retainer" basis, asking for payment initially, anticipating that you will continue to meet with them for the number of sessions they have pre-determined.
If you choose a National or State Certified Professional Counselor, you know that the counselor
- Must have had a certain number of years of supervised experience and a specific type of education.
- Belongs to professional counseling organizations that oversee the profession and maintain its ethical standards.
For example, Dr. Sain is both a National and State Certified Professional Counselor (and PA Licensed Psychologist). Moreover, through her education and experience, she has earned the "Master Career Counselor" (MCC) designation from the National Career Development Association, an organization dedicated to maintaining high professional standards for the Career Counseling Profession. She is only one of two such MCCs in her home state.
Spencer Niles, former President of the National Career Development Association, has said:
"A career counselor could also be a career coach, and you often find counselors adjusting their interventions to meet the needs of the client. For example, if a client is sorting through what they want to do next in their career, that might require more of a career counseling orientation. But once the client has decided what they want, the counselor can become a career coach by helping with job search strategies, resume writing, interview tips-those kinds of skills."
Dr. Sain's training and experience combine the best of both coaching and counseling. That is, in addition to her counseling credentials, she is a Certified Guild Coach for the Five O'Clock Club, the nation's premier career coaching and outplacement firm.
No matter whether you decide to choose a Career Counselor or a Coach, you should look for someone who has a depth of experience and the appropriate educational background. If possible, have a short interview with them to determine if their approach and energy are the sort of style you want to work with.
