What is career counseling?

In career counseling, professionals get to explore their relationship with their career. There are various reasons as to why people can feel unhappy about their jobs. A question I often ask is “are you getting your needs met?” Oftentimes people just work for the next paycheck, because it is what they are “supposed to do.” You start feeling burnt out, stressed, all sorts out of balance. Through career counseling, you can begin to explore your values and needs at the workplace. You get to explore your skills and highlight your expertise. You will capitalize on your strengths, so that you can be the best version of you at your job. And maybe for the first time, you start to feel fulfilled in your career.

Who are professionals of color?

Professionals of color are people who identify as part of the Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and are nonwhite. If you are a part of this community, you may also be in a career that requires a certain level of expertise. You are not only knowledgeable, but also reliable. You could be at beginning, middle, or the latter end of your profession. Wherever you are in your career ladder, you put in a lot of work to get to where you are.

However, this comes with a price. You are also experiencing an overwhelming amount of work that doesn’t seem to end no matter how much time you put in.

In my practice, I have a special emphasis on working with Black professionals.

With everything that occurred around Black Lives Matter in the summer of 2020, we heard the world’s uproar. In fact this time your employer, supervisors, and colleagues posted and tweeted about their support for Black Lives.

As time went by, things became business as usual. But for you, the suffering hasn’t stopped. Feelings of loneliness, disappointment, and hopelessness slowly trickle in. You find yourself here again, suffering in silence.

You’re noticing lack of energy, motivation, and passion in the work that you do. Maybe you feel unsupported.

How can career counseling help ?

Work related stress can breed low self-esteem and lack of motivation. Now you are avoiding difficult tasks, new situations, and even conversations with coworkers because it’s too much work. Or maybe you feel like they just won’t get it.

In therapy, you finally get the space to just show up exactly as you are. You can come in (or login) your comfiest attire. In therapy, you get to just be. With the career counseling aspect, you can also learn how to get back up and excel.

Career counseling can help alleviate the emotional labor that your job brings. You can learn how to have boundaries, communicate assertively, or even just release some of the tension you’re carrying through relaxation. Beyond that, you get the opportunity to understand yourself better so you can give yourself better.

You fought incredibly hard for where you stand today. It’s finally time to give yourself the healing that you’ve always deserve. In working with me, I will help you with the personal, professional, and societal pressures that are hanging over your head.

Why is career counseling important?

Our jobs have such a strong influence on our lives from the very beginning. I think it is safe to say that every 5 year-old in us has been asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Since then (or maybe even earlier for you), you start shaping your life based on that one question. 

And of course, the older we get, the more we realize that acquiring that job is not that easy… we face bumps in the road. Getting hired, getting fired, then getting hired again. Feeling totally confident at your job, then feeling completely the next minute after. Getting along with coworkers to having tension with your boss. Going back and forth if you should ask for that pay raise or not. It is a roller coaster of a ride. 

Having a sense of achievement is part of what fuels our self-esteem and the way we see ourselves. Work can bring about very challenging circumstances that makes you feel stuck. Through career counseling, you don’t only get to explore your strengths, you also start to pay attention to what feels satisfying to you. This can be the catalyst that changes the rest of your life. This can help you get clear on who you are so you can start your a fulfilling career.