Are you feeling stuck in your career? Are you craving a change but unsure of where to start? If so, it might be time to consider a career therapy approach. Yes, you read that right - therapy for your career!
Career therapy is a holistic approach to tackling work and career-related challenges, helping you navigate through tough decisions, identify your passions, and ultimately find professional fulfillment. Whether you are a recent graduate embarking on the job market or a seasoned professional experiencing difficulties at work or seeking a new direction, career therapy can offer you the space and support you need to make informed decisions about your future.
So, let's dive in and discover how career therapy can help you find your path and thrive in your chosen profession.
What is career therapy?
Career therapy is a psychologically minded exploration of the relationship individuals have with their work, which can, over time, helping individuals better navigate their professional lives. It goes beyond traditional career counselling by taking a more holistic approach to address not only specific career concerns but also the underlying psychological, emotional, and personal factors that can impact one's career choices and different relationships and or issues at work.
As a clinical psychotherapist, who has experienced a career transition from a 20 year career in international career in HR, I am offering something other than a traditional career counsellor or career coach. So, what is my approach?
I work with clients to help them to identify underlying patterns and experiences in their life that may be showing up in the work relationship. I am interested in your life story, your personal and professional history including intergenerational stories which may be carried with you less consciously. I also take into account your journey through education and aspirations fulfilled and unfulfilled. We may also be curious about your core values and beliefs, interests, personal relationships in the service of self-exploration and self-awareness.
Leaders at work may benefit from this deeper more holistic approach to enable greater self-awareness in the workplace, the living organism of the ‘organisation’. Leaders and managers not only navigate their own path, but those of their reportees and so a commitment to self-discovery can support more informed action and behaviours both personally and professionally.
Through a collaborative process, a career therapy approach can help clients identify and overcome relational obstacles both personally and professionally.
The importance of a career therapy approach for professionals
In today's rapidly changing job market, and with the advent of AI in the workplace, this boutique career therapy approach can play a crucial role in helping individuals to find the best way forward for them.
Many people spend a significant portion of their lives working, and having a fulfilling work life is essential for overall life satisfaction and well-being. However, navigating the complexities of the today’s organisational dynamics can be overwhelming, and issues or decisions often come with a high degree of uncertainty and risk. It can also feel like a lonely place as a senior executive leader, when well-held confidential spaces for self-exploration can be a rare commodity.
A career therapy approach supports to identification and deep exploration of a professional’s inner world colliding with the organisational eco-system, manager, peer, reportee relationships, unexpected changes and conflicts. It can also be a safer confidential space when trying to navigate organisational restructures, risk of redundancy, and offers of settlement agreements. Working with a psychotherapist, who understands the mechanisms of these experiences first hand and the human impact means that I am well-placed to work with professionals who unexpectedly find themselves in these situations which can be emotionally and mentally taxing.
Common themes in career therapy
The experience at work and through career development is not a linear path, and many individuals face challenges along the way. Some common obstacles include:
Lack of clarity: Many individuals struggle to identify their true passions and interests, which can lead to a lack of direction and purpose in their careers.
This can show up as low motivation and a reduction in engagement at work.
Fear of change: Change can be intimidating, and the fear of the unknown often holds people back from pursuing new opportunities or making necessary career transitions.
The most common experiences here can be involuntary change such as being at risk of redundancy, or being called into a ‘without prejudice’ conversation at work. Naturally, this can lead to feelings of shock, fear, and concern for financial well-being as well as emotional safety because often professionals don’t share their deepest darkest concerns to others for lack of trust and feelings of shame or embarrassment.
Work-life balance: Balancing work and personal life is a constant challenge for many individuals. A career therapy approach can help individuals find a healthy balance that promotes overall well-being and satisfaction.
A common experience can be the negative impact work demands can have on relationships and the capacity to switch off and relax.
Job dissatisfaction: Feeling unfulfilled or unhappy in one's current job can have a significant impact on overall happiness and productivity. A career therapy approach can help individuals who may be thinking about exploring alternative career paths or finding ways to make their current job more fulfilling.
Typically, there may be a fantasy career or a strong desire to escape which sometimes may be acted upon. Together we can hold and explore these themes and consider what they mean to you and how you may be able to ground in reality enough.
Lack of confidence: Self-doubt and a lack of confidence can hinder career progression. A career therapy approach can help individuals build self-confidence and overcome self-limiting beliefs.
It may be that you don’t believe you’re good enough to progress in your career and sit with crippling imposter syndrome at work. This can be explored to identify the root of this and what can be reframed in the present, contributing to greater self-awareness and self-acceptance.
How career therapy can help with career exploration
Self-exploration is a vital component of a career therapy approach. By engaging in a process of self-discovery, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their past experiences, beliefs, role models, values, and aspirations. Career therapy provides a safe and supportive environment for clients to explore their work and job relationships and fantasies to consider how they align with their personal and professional goals.
This is a deeper more fluid approach to traditional career coaching or career counselling where assessment tools, models and formulas are not required. I find that trusting the process means that your personal models, idioms, and patterns emerge and speak louder and mean more than generic models to be imposed on your unique story and circumstance.
I merge both my clinical experience as a couple & individual psychotherapist with tens of thousands of HR hours in selection processes, employee relations and medication cases as well as senior management and Board dynamics.
This is my offer to my clients open to a career therapy approach to their difficulties in the workplace.
In summary
A career therapy approach for professionals can be an invaluable resource for individuals, whether a recent graduate, or a mid-career professional, seeking to explore their career journeys and relationship with work as well as those who may be experiencing a crisis of potential job loss or ending. As the job market continues to evolve with the increased integration of AI, there may be an increasing need to transition into new ways of working or career transitioning with the demand for a depth therapeutic service like career therapy likely to increase. By taking a holistic approach to the relationship with career development, the career therapy approach helps individuals navigate challenges, explore new possibilities, and make informed decisions about their professional as well as their personal lives.
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