How to Distinguish Between Services - If You're Not Sure Which Service is For You
If You're Trying To Decide Between:
- Individual Career Counseling or Individual Personal Assessment --
If you have had a professional career, or if you have a good feeling for what you like and dislike and can verbalize it, the Individual Career Counseling would probably be better.
If you have had a series of unrelated jobs, then Individual Personal Assessment would probably better suit your needs.
Another distinction between these two services is that Individual Counseling focuses on the specifics and nuances of your individual career situation, while Individual Personal Assessment concentrates more on how your individual qualities compare with those of others.
- Career Directions For Women or New Choices--
Both programs are for individuals seeking career/life transitions. However, New Choices is more intensive and is usually targeted toward people who have recently been separated, divorced, or widowed. Career Directions is aimed toward women who are married, single, or who were divorced/widowed some time ago. Often, Career Directions is aimed at women who feel less pressured to make immediate changes.
- Individual Personal Assessment or Personal Assessment Workshop--
Both approaches utilize standardized testing. With Individual Personal Assessment, you will select the four tests you want to take. Interpretation will be one-to-one -- tailored to your individual needs.
In Personal Assessment Workshop, the counselor will select four tests for all group members to take. Interpretation will be handled on a group basis. Participants will need to draw their own conclusions regarding their individual situations.
- Any Group Career Counseling Experience versus Any Individual
Career Counseling Experience--
Group and individual often cover exactly the same content, but they do it using different processes. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages.
Group work usually lasts longer, and, although participants would like to "get the answers" faster, working for a longer period of time often yields much better results. Groups tend to be more fun for participants because everyone is "in the same boat". Group members do similar homework assignments, so there is a feeling of networking, pooling resources, and ideas. The element of support from others is high.
Individual work has the advantage of enabling you to deal in depth with your own unique concerns. Some people prefer to work on a one-to-one basis. Others have time conflicts that eliminate the possibility of taking a group.
As a rule of thumb, groups tend to be excellent for people who are just beginning to explore their options. One-to-one can work better for people who are closer to actually changing careers, and therefore, who have more specific issues to discuss.