Independent Practice Archives

Intentional Change Theory: A Useful Framework for Career and Executive Coaching

By Millicent N. Simmelink

Intentional Change Theory (ICT) has implications for independent practice career and executive coaching. Offering an innovative, evidence-based framework for supporting intentional change, coaches help clients learn to mindfully develop new habits, set new goals, overcome limiting beliefs and create a personalized change plan.

ChatGPT: Tips for Career Searching

By Maggie Kuhn

As the breadth of technology rapidly expands, career search processes are increasingly subject to innovation. A timely example of this growth is ChatGPT. This tool is dynamic and powerful and has a wide range of capabilities, especially pertaining to the career searching process. Like any tool, it has pros and cons for the career development professional to consider.

Questions Your Clients Need to Ask About Career Growth

By Leigh Branham

Job seekers looking for career growth can avoid making a career-damaging misstep by doing a reasonable amount of homework and knowing the right questions to ask. The author, citing extensive research on why employees leave, presents key questions designed to explore and reveal the degree of a prospective employer’s commitment to employees’ career growth.

The Revolutionary Collaborative Interviewing Process

By Micah Lorenc

The employment interviewing process is outdated. Candidates and hiring organizations would both benefit from more candid discussion during interviews by focusing on the four components of work fit: Person-Job, Person-Organization, Person-Group, and Person-Supervisor Fit. A more collaborative approach to interviewing can improve job satisfaction for employees and retention for companies.

Three Steps to Help Clients Create an Engaging LinkedIn Presence

By Gail McCowan

LinkedIn is an essential tool for job seekers to demonstrate the value they create in the workplace and to connect with professionals who can aid in their job search. Career professionals can guide their clients to leverage its potential by following three key steps: Build, Connect, and Share.

Four Effective Ways of Building on Clients’ Inner Strengths to Accelerate Career Transition

By Esther Wang

Developing ways in working with clients as they build on their inner strengths can be used to accelerate career transitions. Four ways, “Role model”, “Mantra”, “Successful events”, and “Creating a new self-image,” are described here for the career professional to use.

Reimagining the Job Search: Prioritizing Work Environment before Role

By Shamis Pitts

Job searches often focus on finding the best job fit without substantive consideration for the best organizational fit. This article unpacks how starting with the end in mind - understanding what an ideal work environment looks like - can help clients think more holistically about identifying roles within organizations where they can thrive.

Integrating Somatics into Career Coaching

By Stephanie Simpson

Navigating changes in one’s career can cause many emotions to surface. The human body is filled with wisdom that can help coaches and clients. Somatic practices may be used to identify and get curious about sensations in the body so that new pathways can be unlocked during the coaching process.

Values-Guided Career Searching

By Edward Kuras

Career decision-making may involve many constructs of varying significance to the individual. Defining values and their importance is a relevant task in the career coaching process. This article covers that task and addresses the impact of societal change on the workplace. Strategies and interventions to conceptualize and identify values are provided to help career coaches support their clients.

Anxiety and Career Exploration: The C/AAP Framework Applied to Two Cases

By Michelle Tullier

Anxiety disorders are a leading contributor to the global mental health crisis and can impede a client’s ability to engage fully in the career development process. The Career/Anxiety Alignment Protocol framework aligns career counseling/coaching approaches with anxiety disorder treatment methods, enabling career practitioners to provide effective, complementary support.

Tailoring Career Development Practices for Clients with ADHD

By Hunter Dickson

Career development practitioners can better support clients with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) by educating themselves to recognize and understand ADHD symptoms, providing structure, instilling hope amidst the hardships of ADHD challenges, and being familiar with legal and accommodation resources.

A Paradoxical Mindset Framework for Coaching Leaders

By Sunitha Narayanan

As the global health crisis continues, many leaders are operating from a place of exhaustion as they attempt to rally and support a restless talent community to make collective business decisions and achieve results. A coaching framework, encouraging a paradoxical mindset, can help leaders build back trust, hope, and purpose.

What Can a Teacher Become? Facilitating Career Transitions Beyond the Classroom

By Alexandra Rizzi and Kate Rizzi

Teaching is a challenging profession, and the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges. Teachers desiring a career change may struggle to shape a new self-concept and to see options beyond the classroom. With theories and practices from Savickas and Krumboltz, career practitioners can help teachers get unstuck.

Hope is a Leadership Strategy: Coaching Clients through Turbulent Times

By Sunitha Narayanan

The pandemic upended life globally, with disrupted routines and challenges in delivering business results. The vagueness of what lies ahead requires leaders to refocus business vision, talent development, and daily practices. A framework of hope enables coaches to help clients embrace and navigate the turbulence.

Career Development in the Age of Legal Marijuana: Issues, Trends, and Solutions

By Christopher Pisarik and Rachel Schleier

Laws and attitudes regarding marijuana use are rapidly changing. Career counselors and coaches will best serve clients by staying abreast of research findings that have implications for career development and by being aware of workplace policies and laws that may affect clients who use marijuana.

Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work

Book Review by Janine Rowe

Taming the Stress: Addressing Client Challenges with a Response Platform

By Karen Sherfick

When clients experience stress that prevents them from moving forward in a job search, career development professionals have an opportunity to help by utilizing a response platform tailored for the situation. A response platform for calming stress is presented here to help clients trust in the process, manage time, attend to self-care, and adjust for changing conditions.

The Intersection of Career Development and Spirituality: Considerations for Career Professionals

By Amber Samuels

Spirituality is part of the fabric of multiculturalism and an important identity element of clients seeking career services. This article offers tools to address the intersection of spirituality and career across various dimensions of the career counseling process, including interests and values, sources of support, and career decision-making.

Heeding the Call of Transition: Helping Clients Move Past Fear and Resistance

By Alyssa Yeo Jones

Inspired by John Krumboltz’ Happenstance Learning Theory and Joseph Campbell’s notion of transitions as a call to action from the universe, this article provides practical strategies for helping clients confront their fears and trust themselves when faced with uncertainty from forced or voluntary change.

[Recognition Award Winner] Using Adlerian Counseling Strategies to Help Career Clients Design Their Futures

By Mariagrazia Buttitta and Marion Cavallaro

The purpose of this article is to provide career practitioners with specific techniques that integrate three effective Adlerian Counseling strategies during the various stages of career counseling: (a) the strength-based interview, (b) early recollections, and (c) the "acting as if" technique. [Editor's Note: This article was recognized by NCDA in 2020 for the authors' contribution to the web magazine. Career Convergence is re-running the article in July 2020 in honor of all award winners typically recognized at the annual NCDA Global Career Development Conference.]

Stay-at-Home Parents and COVID-19: What to Explore Before Starting a Job Search

By Christine Walker

With unemployment rates at record highs, many stay-at-home parents may need to return to the workforce to contribute to family finances. Clarifying parents’ needs around timing and work-life balance and exploring their strengths and sources of meaning are important steps before they embark on a job search.

Boundaries as a Key to Work-Life Balance for Career Development Practitioners

By Teena Evert

When we do not set boundaries, the person we most often disappoint is ourselves. Work-life balance depends on firm boundaries that reflect our priorities, values, and goals. Boundary-setting is about more than saying “no” and is a critical element in our growth and satisfaction as successful career development practitioners.

To Digitize or Not to Digitize: The Question of Scale for Independent Career Development Professionals

By Erica Sosna

After fifteen years of career coaching one-on-one and facilitating live, on-site workshops, I decided to create my own online program in career navigation and change. By sharing elements of my journey, I aim to help you answer the question of whether to digitize or not for your own practice.

Relaunch: Stagnation, Change, and Renewal in Mid Career and Beyond

Book Review by Mason Murphy

Is your client around the age of 40 or 50 and wanting to change careers? Is your client ready to look at their skills, the risks, and potential for stress associated with this change? What might be the long-term impact of this change or the connection to life-long learning? What is happening in your own career? This "Relaunch" book might help you and your client find the answers.

What’s Mom Still Got To Do With It?

Book Review by Maggie O’Brien

This review of the book, "What’s Mom Still Got To Do With It?" by Ilana Tolpin Levitt, fills a needed gap in career development literature that will assist a variety of readers, including career practitioners, daughters, and mothers. Understanding the mother daughter relationship in career development can shed light on possible interventions.

Surfacing Bias for Better Career Coaching

By David Hosmer

Unconscious biases exist in our coaching practices. While biases are normal, we should not accept them as such. As career practitioners, our unconscious biases might influence us in several ways. To help others we must first look inward. Our biases are rooted in complex filters, including background, cultural environment, and personal experiences. This article reviews some ways to surface and manage biases for new coaching potential.

Portfolio Careers: Are You Ready for the Challenge?

By Gloria Dansby-Giles

A portfolio career is an appealing choice for individuals who are looking for a flexible work schedule and the opportunity to combine part-time jobs. Types of portfolio careers, career theory application, and portfolio career advantages will be explored in this article.

Strategies to Help Clients with Introductions and Informal Interviews

By Ruth Pankratz

The way jobs are promoted and filled continues to evolve. While there is not one ideal way to help clients through a job search process, providing a few service options to support client introductions and informal interviews can accelerate positive outcomes.

Career Interviews as a Resource for Career Professionals

By Meg Gerry

Learn how a career professional created career interview videos after reflecting on her services, her client's needs and relevant career theories. Committing to a career goal often involves a significant investment of time and money. The more we can assist our clients in learning about a profession they are considering, the fewer surprises there will be.

How to Help Clients Dodge Those Pesky Salary Questions

By Karen James Chopra

Do your clients dread being asked about salary history in their interviews? Handling questions about current salary or salary requirements during an interview can make job seekers understandably anxious. Here are some tips on how to coach clients on the best ways to navigate difficult salary questions and negotiate the best employment agreement.

Managing the Challenges Associated with Career Advancement

By Beth Wingert

Clients seeking to advance in their career paths will inevitably encounter some bumps along the way. Having the support of a career practitioner helps them build confidence, balance their roles, and mitigate challenges – self-imposed or otherwise––as they progress into leadership positions.

How To Build Your Career Brand In the Digital Age

By Wendi Weiner

We are living in the “digital age.” It is a time when career professionals are being accessed online and vetted by prospective employers and even potential clients prior to meeting in-person or as a follow up after meeting. Having a strategy for building a career brand is not only important for our job searching clients, but just as important for us as career professionals.

Navigating Disrupted Careers with Proven Transition Writing Tools: An Essential Guide for Career Professionals

By Jennifer Bradley and Leia Francisco

Today’s career professionals serve more people with disrupted work lives than they have in the past. In this article, we discuss transition-writing tools as a proven, flexible, and low-cost approach to supporting individuals through challenging career transitions.

Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your Private Practice

By Jim Peacock

Social media has many free resources career practitioners can use to help build and maintain their private practice. This article describes strategies for using five social media platforms and two ways to organize them. Marketing is the key to driving customers/clients to your business so that you can help them create success.

Getting Yourself Booked Solid with Clients

By Mark Danaher

It takes more than a website to create a profitable practice. Build your client base by growing your network, developing trusting relationships, and acting consistently and purposefully. Learn strategies you need to do every day to get booked solid.

Renew Yourself: A Six-Step Plan for More Meaningful Work

Book Review by Caitlin Williams

If your clients have been asking, “What if I want something more from my work? Is this all there is?” Then the book, “Renew Yourself,” may be the resource you could use to help them. Through self-exploration exercises, key questions, and a renewal plan, readers can return to work with renewed enthusiasm.

Why Talented People Disengage Quietly

By Sunitha Narayanan

This article describes observations and exercises a coach can implement to help employees and their employers recognize and address the underlying process of disengagement.

Video Feedback Shows Surprising Insights for Interview Success

By Carlyn Saltman

The author relates the story of how video feedback heightened awareness of voice, words, and body language in job-seekers who viewed themselves answering a common interview question. The author developed Video Mirror Feedback® for her Independent Practice from her research in which clients received the invaluable instant insights experienced in activities such as the one-hour exercise outlined here.

A Lifeline for Career Counselors in Private Practice

By Dave Gallison

Career counselors in solo private practice often struggle with learning how to run a successful business as well as balance their needs for peer connection. A new paradigm for career counselors supporting each other as well advancing the field is presented, based on a promising collective formed in Portland, Oregon.

Letting Go of Career Beliefs That No Longer Serve Us

By Willa Smith

Our career beliefs can be the key to feeling satisfaction with our career choices and life satisfaction. As with our other beliefs, career beliefs are shaped by our experiences and knowledge. When they are no longer helpful, we can replace them with beliefs that support our life, work, passion and purpose.

When Career Assessments are Not Enough: Helping Clients after an Unexpected Career Transition

By Jennifer Del Corso

Learn the importance of processing the stages of grief before giving career assessments after an unexpected career change. Clients may not be ready to move forward until they process the cause of the career change and can feel more optimistic about the future.

Career Counseling for Career Counselors?

by William H. Waldorf and Kim H. Tay

As career professionals, many of us assume we are (or should be) immune to shifts in career direction ourselves. This article points to theoretical, practical and professional reasons why this need not be the case. Rather, it argues that all of us in the career profession (counselors, consultants, coaches) might seek career counseling ourselves.

Workplace Communication Issues Across Multiple Generations

By Sue Aiken

Four generations occupy seats in our workforce ranging from 90 years of age to early 20’s. Generational Theory matters to career professionals. Here are reflections on the challenges and opportunities for career counselors and coaches.

The Value of Career Coaching: Supporting Clients Beyond Choosing a Career

By Dora Grote

We hear it all the time: building education plans, transitioning careers, and entering or reentering the workforce is a daunting process when a person lacks the support of others. Ideally, their support includes an experienced and credentialed professional.

Utilizing LinkedIn As A Career Development Professional

By Mason Murphy

LinkedIn is a powerful online resource that can connect both candidates and employers to global career development opportunities. There are eight aspects when developing a profile and connecting with other professionals to keep in mind. Career development professionals should utilize LinkedIn to heighten their own careers.

The Business of Private Practice: A Sampling of Who Is Doing What

Nancy J. Miller

The purpose of this article is to share a sampling of what career professionals are doing in private practice. Gathered from Career Convergence web magazine articles and an anonymous online survey of seventeen career professionals, most of the practitioners work in the United States and are associated with NCDA.

Time Management Tips For Career Counselors

By Robert White

Effective time management can be difficult for many career counselors who freely give of their time and resources in order to help others. If you fall into this category, this helpful article provides a variety of tips and strategies for improving time management skills and increasing productivity. [Ed. Note: This article was originally published in Career Convergence in 2010 and is being re-run due to its value today.]

Best Practices For Career Counselors: The Advantage Of Having A Dual Specialty Private Practice

By Beverly Baskin

Counseling as a business: How continuing education, dual certifications, and an entrepreneurial spirit led to an expanding private practice with several employees.

Avoid the Shell-Shock of Job Loss

By Louise Kursmark

Losing one’s job is never easy. Yet, career practitioners can help employees (and themselves) minimize the “shell shock” of getting laid off by following these suggestions. [Eds. Note: This article originally appeared here in 2012. Because of its value it is being reprinted now.]

Encouraging Career Asset Building Among Low-Income Individuals

By Amy Johnson

Urging low-income adults to "get a job, any job" and creating programming based on this position is shortsighted and leads to poor job retention, welfare cycling, inadequate wages, and greater costs than investing in meaningful career exploration and choice. Service providers may be interested in an online comprehensive career development program for lower-income adults that focuses on career asset-building . [Eds. Note: This article originally appeared here in 2006. It is being repeated due to its high value.]

A Healthy Lifestyle Increases Career Success

By Nancy J. Miller

If you knew that practicing a healthy lifestyle would improve your chances of getting a job, help you work better, and increase your career success, would you exercise and eat more vegetables? A healthy lifestyle is an important part of successful career development.

Successful Career Planning…. It’s Never Too Late

By Karen Atkins

I have had three career changes in thirty-five years. I always dreamed I would retire and enjoy each career until my retirement. Life events happen, plans change, and happenstance creeps into our lives. What we do with happenstance events is up to us. I decided to get my mind and heart together and place my thoughts and realistic goals into practice. Based on my personal experience, here are 7 tips for career practitioners to use with clients considering a career change.

Advocating, Educating, Inspiring: The Expanding Role of Career Professionals

By Angela Londoño-McConnell

The role of social justice in career development is, once again, becoming a central focus (Borgen 2005; Arthur et al, 2009). Historically, career development, social justice, and advocacy have been intrinsically intertwined. The founder of vocational psychology, Frank Parsons, advocated for the poor and disadvantaged; worked against discrimination and oppression; and believed in justice and social change. But, does social justice matter? [Eds. Note: This article originally appeared here in Sept 2012. It is being repeated in celebration of Career Convergence's All Conference issue. See NCDA NEWS for more details.]

Distance Career Counseling: An In-Demand Profession

By Betty McWillie

Distance counseling is an in-demand profession as busy clients seek to accommodate their lifestyles balancing a career, education, home, and family. Clients can be involved in the career counseling process at home, on their lunch hour, and at times convenient to them without having to go to an office and meet face to face with a career counselor. Counselors who meet the qualifications can obtain training and certification as a Distance Credentialed Counselor, providing behaviorally based career plans with documented steps and outcomes to their clients.

Discover, Internalize, CREATE!

By Leslie Arnold

Embarking on a career change can be overwhelming. It is common for clients to feel powerless and fearful. The process can affect not only a client’s self-esteem but also their confidence levels. The following case study is an example of a client’s feelings of “being stuck” and an original exercise I use to support my clients during their career search journey.

Help Clients Change Careers -- Retool Their Career “Story”

By Alexandra White

With a simple two-part technique, help clients seeking a career change to distill their work experience into a meaningful “story” to align it to a new position, even one in a new industry. Part 1 helps client mine their past experience to align it with the job skills a company is seeking, while Part 2 helps clients practice storytelling through a mock interview.

A Practical 'Happenstance' or 'Voyage' Exercise

By Eric Anderson

Replacing career “path” with career “voyage” has led to an exploration of new methods of delivery for career planning. In one example, a “thought experiment” with clients was effective in awakening them to the reality of their largely unpredictable voyage ahead, and prepared them to consider two practical approaches to career planning as they face life’s unpredictability.

When Did You Last Think About Theory?

By Deirdre A. Pickerell

This article offers a brief glimpse into the world of career theory, with the goal of inspiring career practitioners to pause to reflect on how, or perhaps if, career theory is embedded in their practice.

Beating the Odds: Building a Private Practice

By Linda Crowder

Most small businesses fail within their first five years. A Career Coaching practice that not only survives but thrives, needs to build multiple streams of income and take full advantage of the Internet to both attract new clients and deliver service. The author shares her practical approach to building a successful practice in the rural state of Wyoming.

How to Show Up the Moment Your Prospect Wants to Buy Your Services

by Jack Chapman

The trick to building a successful private practice is to be the person "waiting in the wings," when a career need pops up. By sending a newsletter each month you will remind people that you're ready, willing, and able to work with them. Learn how to create a newsletter that's PIP.From the author of "Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute." In honor of NCDA's 100th anniversary, Career Convergence is publishing articles of historical significance. This month, our web magazine is reprinting articles from our debut issue in 2003.

A Narrative Career Management Program that Increases Hope, Optimism, Confidence, Resilience: Outcome Study

By Mark Franklin

We’re hearing more and more about using ‘narrative’ and ‘storytelling’ in career counseling, coaching and advising, but how does it work? How can we listen in new ways to our clients’ stories that inevitably tumble out, and help our clients distill what matters from what happened, to answer ‘what now?’ This article gives an overview of the results of a recent outcome study of the CareerCycles narrative framework and method of practice that’s creating a new language for career management, and supporting a move toward evidence-based practice. Also included is a Practice Tip.

Career Development Time vs. Full-Time Work

By Sally Power

Here are some unusual tactics for making time for independent career development while working full time. Our increasingly mobile workforce will need to implement these tips in the future. Also in this article: ideas to aid people in making the time management shift.

Recovering Self-Identity Amidst Long-Term Unemployment

By Dave Gallison

Now that the election cycle, with its emphasis on unemployment as an upward or downward-moving data point, has passed, what real hope is there for the millions of long-term unemployed? More to point, as counselors, how can we make a difference in the outlook and coping strategies of our clients?

Helping Females Overcome Glass Barriers to Advancement

By Joan Runnheim Olson

While the landscape continues to change for women in the workplace, it sometimes feels like it is one step forward and two back. This article highlights the challenges women face when trying to move up the next rung on the career ladder and how career practitioners can help guide their clients in breaking through the invisible barriers.

Shaping the Story

Book Review by William C. Briddick

From author/editor Kobus Maree comes the much awaited American edition of the 2007 publication, "Shaping the Story: A Guide to Facilitating Narrative Career Counseling". This book has something for everyone, from those already utilizing a narrative approach in career counseling to those who are seeking to learn more about narrative career counseling.

Community Champions: How to influence generations of workers

By Jan McCormick

Accomplished people share a simple secret. They’ve had supportive and inspiring mentors. Equally true, GCDF's can look to Community Champions for insight and guidance in translating the demands of a changing workplace in a changing world. Through collaborative relationships, practitioners can influence generations of workers by facilitating employer-infused career development activities.

Values In Coaching

By Trudy Leijte

We want clients to find their strengths and core values in order to make a good career choice. But are we, career facilitators, aware of our own values and strengths? Knowing one's values can contribute to a better career choice and knowing yours makes you a better career coach.

Rediscovering Personal Meaning in Work

By Tim Lutenski

Many people today are able to successfully achieve a strong sense of purpose and inner meaning through their work. However, as time goes on, they can become disconnected and disengaged. To rediscover meaning, individuals are responsible for shaping their own version of success and assuming the initiative in making positive changes.

What To Do When You’re Not In Kansas Anymore: A Transformative Seminar For People In Transition

By Sunitha Narayanan and Linda Tefend

Job-seekers today are bombarded with electronic information and job search advice. Our high-touch, group approach is an energizing and practical solution to help your transitioning clients become confident, avoid pitfalls and shorten their job search.

Making Space for Insight and Change: Using the Metaphorical Process of Clean Space

By Barbara Stainman and Gina Campbell

Client metaphors offer a powerful way to connect to the hidden feelings, beliefs, fears and thoughts around career issues. Using the Clean Space process, developed by psychotherapist David Grove, a facilitator uses movement and mindfulness within a network of physical spaces to help clients develop new insights or strategies to reach their desired outcomes.

Career Flow: A Hope-Centred Approach to Achieving Dreams

By Roberta Neault

Most people dream about career success and job satisfaction. The author has demonstrated that optimism can be learned. Fostering an optimistic attitude in our clients may be an important focus for career practitioners.

Strengths and Careers: Applying a Strengths Approach to Help Clients Move Ahead

By Jennifer Bradley and Emma Trenier

How can career professionals help clients succeed in a world of work where jobs and career paths are increasingly less defined? In this article we discuss how a strengths approach can benefit clients and empower them to create and pursue a productive and satisfying career.

The Dalai Lama and Career Transition

By Sunitha Narayanan

A transition brings joy and pain into people’s lives. Life goes on, and it may even get better after going through the transition. The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, has heartfelt and simple strategies that can transform people who are facing a career transition. This article looks at applying the Dalai Lama’s concepts to empower people going through a transition, life or career.

Incorporating Motivational Interviewing into Career Counseling

By Liz Lierman

Research has shown that Motivational Interviewing (MI) is effective in a variety of settings. This article offers background on MI, suggestions for using MI as a career counseling framework, and specific tips for practitioners to incorporate into their work with clients.

What are Career Coaches Afraid of?

By Greg Fall

This article is a call for career coaches to take the medicine we have been prescribing. We strive to help our clients overcome their anxieties and emotional barriers. But what about taking our own advice?

Building Meaning in Work

By Tim Lutenski

Today, many people are seeking meaning in work by finding personal fulfillment and satisfaction. Failure to build a significant “work-meaning connection” can lead to cynicism and disillusionment. This article presents several proactive measures for career counselors to implement for themselves or their clients.

Part II - Changing Careers After 40: Real Stories, New Callings

By Terry Pile and David Lingle

In the June issue of NCDA Career Convergence, we introduced readers to research we have been conducting with mid-life career changers. In this follow-up article, we introduce Harvey. The theme of his career transition focuses on turning a survival job into a satisfying career.

Social Media: The Revolution in Career Development

By Jane Finkle

Missed opportunities abound as clients search for career information and jobs using only traditional resources. Social Media is an energetic process that employs simple technology and produces quick results. This article gives testimony as to how this revolutionary resource is empowering professionals as they expand their network and target job goals.

Coaching Clients in Identifying Skills

By Tim Lutenski

Career specialists assisting clients looking for work or making career decisions must help them in identifying their major skills, understanding the significance of these skills, and using them to build a successful career and work life. A critical task for career professionals is helping clients to recognize and communicate key career skills and align them with work that provides personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

Transition Road: Well Traveled Or Lesser Known?

By Sue Aiken

Private practices around the world are filled with clients in transition as we experience economic chaos. Lessons learned from past upheavals and reliable tools to assist clients on this journey are provided.

Serendipitous Moments - More Than Just Chance

By Danielle Gruen

Each and every day, potentially opportune encounters take place in a person's life. These moments are not always capitalized on, especially in times of stress or turmoil. This article discusses why this happens for many people, and how to increase the chance of turning serendipity into opportunity.

Understanding Grief In The Context Of Job Loss & Lifestyle Adjustment

by Millicent Nuver Simmelink

Today’s marketplace and economy have resulted in loss of jobs, self confidence, career dreams, financial power and much more. The article examines grief from this context, reviews the emotional stages of grief and provides counseling strategies for empowering clients. Originally published in September, 2006, this article is extremely relevant today.

Can I Use Coaching Techniques And Still Be An Effective Professional Career Counselor?

By Richard L. Knowdell

Different settings require different skills and techniques when providing solutions to career problems and issues. Coaching techniques can be more effective than counseling techniques in certain settings. Successful career practitioners can (and should) employ both coaching and counseling techniques when helping clients solve career problems. There are more similarities than differences between career counseling and career coaching.

You Need The Oxygen First!

By Sharon McCormick

Help your clients who suffer a job loss cope using these practical steps that will help them place their needs first during this transition.

Getting Lucky: A Simple Approach to Successful Transition

By Millicent N. Simmelink

A case study illustration offers a fresh approach to empowering clients by helping them understand the role of luck, outlook and strategy in improving job search outcomes.

Mystery Gardening: A Job Hunt Parable

By Barry L. Davis

For many of our clients, the job search is a lonely and seemingly futile process with little feedback or encouragement along the way. The following provides a metaphor for the job search as a “Mystery Garden” that guarantees a “good harvest” if the seeker continues to “work the soil”!

Helping Clients Choose You

By Karen James Chopra

This article is Part 2 of "Launching a Successful Private Practice". Most career counselors considering a private practice dread the prospect of marketing their services. A hard sell is neither necessary nor recommended. When clients start looking for a counselor, they are desperate to find not just help, but a connection with someone they can trust. Learn how to respond to this need and make it easy for clients to choose you as their career counselor.

Launching a Successful Private Practice: Part 1: Clearing the Decks

By Karen James Chopra

Career counselors considering a private practice confront a number of common concerns, from fears about how to find clients or run a business to a dread of marketing. These are not insurmountable barriers. Exercises and tools- including some we use with our clients- are included to guide and encourage.

Managing a Career Change During a Recession

By Angel L. Roman

The plethora of layoffs and downsizings have spurred many professionals to rethink their career goals and explore life in a new industry. This article provides some tips on how to manage career change in the midst of a volatile job market.

Obesity Issues and Career Counseling

By Morgan Litchfield

Despite advances in employment equality over the last 50 years, discrimination can still be a reality for many American workers, especially for obese employees. Career development practitioners may be called upon to help obese clients mitigate this potential discrimination both during the hiring process and within the workplace.

Case Note Writing Tips for Career Development Facilitators

By: David A. Scott & Michelle Grant Scott

CDF's working in One-Stop centers, other agencies and schools may find themselves responsible for writing case notes. If they have not received training in this area, lack of proper skills and techniques can create problems for themselves and the agency. Included are some guidelines to help CDF's write appropriate case notes.

Personal Branding: Developing Your Clients' Competitive Edge

By Dan Schawbel

Personal Branding is defined as an individual's total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by their audience. A Personal Brand is composed of four main elements: appearance, personality, competencies and a differentiator. When these elements are integrated, they become the client's core message; the client's most powerful interviewing pitch. After creation, you must ensure that this identity continues to fit your client over time.

Taking Ownership - A Career Advantage

By Sunitha Narayanan

One of the important steps in career exploration is taking action to move forward. This article follows the story of one individual client’s quest into reflecting upon his career plan and learning how to create a path to his future through a series of self-assessment exercises.

The Seasonal Rhythm of Career Decision-Making

By Sally Gelardin

As we help our clients progress in their career development, it is equally important to assess and evaluate our own career progression. As summer winds down and fall approaches, this is a perfect time for self-evaluation and future goal setting. This article discusses the cyclical, year round nature of career development, and provides career practitioners with tangible and helpful tools to aid in self-assessment and self-care.

What If: Exploring the Possibility of Radical Change in One's Work and Life

By Kendall Dudley

Given the events of this turbulent world, clients may come to our private practice with radical ideas for changing their life frame and work focus. Challenging to the career consultant is assessing what is actually happening with the client but also monitoring his or her own responses to matters of risk-taking and change as it affects family, finances and other sacred cows of our culture.

Writing a Book is Good for Business: A Conversation with Sally Gelardin

By Sue Aiken

This article attempts to answer the question about the value of publishing. What services and opportunities spin off from a new book? Should a career counselor in private practice consider either editing and/or authoring books?

The Growing Divide Calls for Advocacy

By Ron Elsdon

Growing inequality in income and wealth in the U.S. threatens the well being of our society, and leads to sustained poverty, reduced circumstances and constrained life choices for many. This article explores these changes, and challenges us as career counselors to engage in advocacy for those who need it most.

Private Practice: Issues, Realities & Ideas

by Wilma Fellman

Private Practice can be a most rewarding environment in which to serve others in career development. As we suggest to our clients, it is essential to check out the positives and negatives of any job before launching in with both feet. This article explores the issues Private Practitioners should consider.

Combining Groups, Narratives and Online Tools Satisfies Clients and Counselors

by Lisa Severy

Combining a narrative-based, online tool with a solid curriculum for groups is an effective solution for engaging your clients and energizing your practice. Not only do you have a balance for the short versus long term counseling relationship, you have an efficient creative method, based on theory that is flexible for both clients and counselors.

Empowering Clients Using a Veritable Goldmine of Interactive Web Tools

by Janet E. Wall

Even more helpful than the millions of career related websites are interactive Web tools that tailor the information or outcome to the person's need and wants. This article provides an introduction to many great interactive Web tools that can help career development professionals assist their students or clients in taking control of their own career destiny.

Decision Time: A Guide to Career Enhancement

Reviewed by Robert Reardon

NCDA's Publications Advisory Council invited the author to create a second edition of Decision Time because it was judged to be potentially a good book for both career practitioners and their clients. In this reviewer's mind, that was a good decision.

It Only Hurts When I (Don't) Laugh: Humor Your Clients' Job Search

by Janet Ruck

Have you ever considered the value of a good belly laugh to alleviate the stress of your clients' job search? Humor heals through the release of endorphins, among other medical reasons. Learn some techniques to humor your clients' job search, while giving yourself a lift at the same time.

Want to Pay $4,400 for Career Help?

by Sharon McCormick

Protect career counseling clients by educating them about questionable practices that are advertised under the guise of "career counseling" or "career marketing" services. Determining the services, staff qualifications and costs is essential for every jobseeker to understand prior to making a financial commitment. This is my client's odyssey.

Mapping Careers with LD and ADD Clients: Guidebook and Case Studies

Book Review by Sarah Lucas Hartley and Beth Lulgjuraj

Janus' book, Mapping Careers with LD and ADD Clients, offers insight into LD and ADD, providing career counselors with practical applications and counseling strategies, while also providing employers with examples of workplace accommodations. This resource is a much-needed reference for working productively with individuals who have LD or ADD.

Lifestyle Loss: An Emerging Career Transition Issue

by Millicent Nuver Simmelink

Lifestyle loss as a career transition issue is defined and examined. Practical guidelines for practitioners helping clients cope with this precarious dilemma are outlined.

Helping Clients Ease the Stress of a Career Identity Crisis

by Betty Boza

When someone is contemplating a career change, there are many challenges associated with the process. One of the key issues, which may be overlooked, is that of career identity. The stress from making a transition can prevent someone from reaching her/his goal. This article is a reminder to career counseling professionals of the struggles that clients experience and reflects a summary of ideas to help your clients through this process.

What is a Career Anyway?

by Michelle L. Casto

In the modern world, the idea of what "career" means is changing. This article takes a look at definitions and different metaphors used to explain career development. The author offers a new way of viewing career as a "wardrobe," where what you do reflects your current style, taste, and work preferences.

Dream Teams Aren't Just for the Olympics

By Gail Rognan

Personal and professional career and life coaching has really taken off in the past few years. What if you need a "kick in the pants" and also want to share your experiences and ideas with others, but don't want to spend money on a private coach? A new approach is offered that combines the best of personal coaching with a team structure.

Grandma and Grandpa Go Back to Work

by Marilyn Tellez

How many mature/older workers want to go back to work? Maybe you are one of them? Perhaps you know someone who is. Learn about three types of mature/older workers and tips on easing their transition back into the workforce.