19 October 2010

Free Career Counseling vs. Paid Therapist

Well, facing a car insurance payment and cell phone bill and having no expected income for at least another month, I've realized I simply can't pay for even one counseling session. I'm a bit down about having to cancel my appointments, but so it goes.

I'm at my most open, teachable, and needful of help, and I can't afford to get the help I want. How...appropriate. Fortunately, I went to a job-hunting seminar tonight, and the guy who gave it (I turned out to be the only attendee at that location) told me there are free career counselors at the non-profit organization he works for and that I should never have to pay for career counseling.

I didn't expound on the fact that I also wanted to be open to possible personal counseling as it arose incidentally, like focusing on removing possible blocks to my decision-making processes on a deeper level rather than just having someone help me map out some formula.

But since I realize I can't afford the "real" counseling anyway, I'll go to the career counselors ASAP and give it a shot. Maybe I'll at least get some work that will allow me to pay for the counseling I want. I'm worried that if I wait, I will be in a rut by the time I can afford it. But hey, maybe the free career counseling will really be all I need. Here's to hoping for more than a formulaic approach.

I'm posting this here because much of my readership is likely to have seen counselors in the past. Does anyone have experience with career counseling at organizations like WorkSource or know how it compares to open-ended career counseling with a therapist who does career counseling incidentally or as part of their focus rather than exclusively?

No comments: