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6 Counseling Majors To Choose From. What’s Your Calling?

Published December 20, 2021

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Counseling is perhaps one of the most rewarding professions out there. It is a career that brings a positive change in the lives of both counselor and their clients. As a counselor, you’ll encounter people from all walks of life who will require your assistance in times of emotional need. Some could be struggling with crucial decisions in their lives. Others could be struggling to overcome a major trauma or loss. It’ll be your job to provide them with direction, support, and guidance. Through your work, you’ll be making an actual difference in the world. If you like the thought of helping others and want to pursue a meaningful career, then counseling is the right choice for you.

The path to becoming a licensed counselor starts with attaining a degree in psychology, counseling, or humanities. Aspiring counselors must then acquire a master’s degree and meet your state’s requirements to obtain licensure to practice as a professional. There are many majors you can pursue depending on your interests. We have compiled a list of a few to give you a head start in your journey to change the world.

School counseling

Counselors are required at every level of the education system to improve student outcomes. School counselors can help students progress academically as well as emotionally. They may work alongside teachers to devise strategies that encourage learning by evaluating students’ strengths, weaknesses, and needs. It is common for budding teenagers to deal with issues regarding self-esteem, confidence, and even trauma, thus finding it difficult to fit amongst peers. Hence, you can choose to enroll in an MS in Education – Crisis and Trauma online and expedite your path to becoming a student counselor in a hassle-free manner. The online mode of education allows you to create a personalized schedule that works best with your routine. As a school counselor, you can guide students struggling with their mental health, encourage them and help them find coping mechanisms. This will help them focus on their studies and emerge as confident professionals.

Addiction counseling

As a substance abuse counselor, you’ll be helping people overcome their destructive behavioral patterns. You’ll be dealing with people battling addictions, such as alcoholism or gambling, as well as patients with eating disorders, addictive sexual tendencies, and so on. You can establish a bond with your patients built on mutual respect and trust by providing judgment-free guidance. Addiction counselors are required to assist their patients with both crisis and long-term addiction management. This could mean providing immediate medical intervention or behavioral therapy to support recovery in the long run.

Career counseling

The demand for career and employment counselors is on a constant rise as they help your professionals and students make life-altering career decisions. They assess people based on their skills, talents, interests, academic and professional experiences. Based on their evaluation, career counselors provide their expert opinion on what career direction they view best for their clients. They also assist their clients in finding employment opportunities by helping them build a stronger resume, working on their interview skills, and developing their self-confidence.

Mental health counseling

As the name suggests, mental health counselors provide psychological care to those suffering from mental disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc. They also deal with patients who have suicidal tendencies, job stress, self-esteem, and substance abuse issues. This counseling specialty requires extreme sensitivity and care since the patients you encounter are likely struggling on a deep emotional level. Mental illnesses are complex and multi-faceted; no two cases are the same. Therefore, counselors must get to the root of their patient’s issues and help them recover.

Rehabilitation counseling

Rehabilitation counselors work in various settings ranging from hospitals, schools, and social services to private rehabilitation agencies and clinics. They play a crucial role in helping patients with cognitive, physical, psychiatric, and sensory disabilities. The main goal is to assist patients in gradually developing skills that can help them live a normal life, get employment, and overcome mobility or other concerns. The counselor and the patient work together to establish a plan, create long and short-term goals and establish what steps must be taken to achieve the goals. It is an essential job as with your help patients learn how to cope with their disabilities and prevent them from disturbing their day-to-day life.

Marriage counseling

Marital and family counseling requires you to help people resolve sensitive issues within their home and personal lives. Your patients could come to you for marital or pre-marital counseling. They can ask for your assistance in dealing with issues regarding communication, conflicts, divorce mediation, or troubles within their sex life. Some may even be dealing with abuse or struggling with raising their child. It is your job to decipher what is going on behind the curtain. You must provide a neutral and safe space for couples to share their concerns openly while helping them set new rules to get their marriage and family back on track.

Conclusion

The need for a counselor exists in almost every aspect of life. Even the best of us fall off-track now and then. By encouraging, motivating, and guiding, counselors can help us get back on our feet and regain our confidence. It is a thriving profession that pays well. So, what specialty piques your interest?

The post 6 Counseling Majors To Choose From. What’s Your Calling? appeared first on Jobacle.com.

Published June 27, 2023

5 Tips For Developing Good Leadership Skills

Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of leadership is knowing that, in addition to playing an important role in a team’s success, leaders are held responsible for their team’s failures. In order to obtain great results from their teams, leaders must be able to consistently motivate their team members.

As a new manager, the implementation of a positive work environment will not only yield great results from your team members but will help you build confidence in your leadership skills.

To help you excel in your new position, here are five tips that will transform your new job from a daunting uphill battle into an exciting opportunity:

1. Focus On Communication

Female boss uses her leadership skills during a work meeting

Clear communication is an important part of any successful relationship, and the relationship between leader and team member is no different.

Express your ideas clearly, making sure employees understand what you’re asking of them. Create a conversation-friendly environment, and give employees the freedom to express their thoughts and concerns. Team members are more willing to trust a leader with whom they are able to openly communicate.

Want to learn more about your communication style in the workplace? This free quiz will help you out.

2. Understand That Wrong Can Be Right

Male leader uses his leadership skills by giving constructive feedback to a member of his team during a work meeting

Encourage creativity by allowing team members to be wrong.

Making mistakes is an inherent part of the creative process. If employees know they won’t be punished for coming up with an atypical idea or solution, they will be inspired to think outside the box and take more chances, leading to the creation of better, more innovative ideas.

3. Look Into The Future

Man uses his leadership skills during work meeting/presentation

Express your exceptional and positive vision for the future.

A leader with a plan is the easiest leader to follow. Once aware of the team’s goal, each member will strive to do his/her part to aid in the completion of the objective, thus ensuring not only the motivation of each individual but the unification of your team as well.

4. Realize Passion Is Contagious

Young leader showing passion and further developing his leadership skills in the office during a work meeting

Share your passion for your work with your team members.

If a leader is enthusiastic and believes in the work, while recognizing the hurdles that the team will encounter, employees will continue to do the same.

This is especially true in an environment rife with obstacles and results that aren’t easily quantifiable, such as a school. As a principal, the constant reiteration of a strong belief in the school’s role in impacting the lives of young people can both unite and inspire the school’s faculty and staff, even when faced with challenges.

5. Know Yourself

Female boss displaying her leadership skills at the office while talking to an employee

Identify your strengths and weaknesses.

One helpful approach to this is feedback analysis, as outlined by Peter Drucker in “Managing Oneself” in the Harvard Business Review. Feedback analysis consists of writing down your expectations after making an important decision and, after nine or 12 months have passed, comparing what actually happened with your expectations.

This helps leaders pinpoint exactly where they excelled and where they fell short, so they can improve upon their shortcomings in the future.

Devising an effective leadership strategy is an incredibly intimidating yet important part of being a new manager. By following these tips, you’ll be able to stop obsessing over your efficacy as a leader and focus on the team’s collective success.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Published March 10, 2022

Cultural Execution: A Brainstorming Tool For Exceptional Social Media Content

As the demand for more content on a daily basis becomes the norm, the topic around the brainstorming process and what tool is best for brainstorming quality ideas for creative content becomes essential. I can tell you—from the many years that I have worked with exceptional gaming and music creative teams—I would be focusing on one area when working with creatives & influencers: culture.

Creative Teams

The only way you get great ideas is if people feel safe to say them out loud. The tools needed to achieve great narratives and to get great campaign content are rooted in a culture where people feel safe to express ideas out loud and not get judged. When a team feels safe to speak up and share ideas that are relevant to pop culture at the time, the creative content is unstoppable and this creates successful new content. The reason most organizations and companies struggle with good ideas is that there is usually someone in the room that is the killer of ideas imposing his/her political will against the rest of the crew, leadership styles that create fear and narrow viewpoints.

I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the best teams in the tech industry and the common thread, in my opinion, has always been a crew that supports humility, kindness, and curiosity as those are the elements to unlock the creative process and unless you have a culture like that, you’re dead. If your boss makes people feel scared to throw things out for creative discussion the future of the team is in jeopardy.

This is called cultural execution.

Focusing on planting seeds with your entire team to create an inclusive environment will achieve more. If allowing everyone to contribute to the success of the team is a priority, the campaign will align with new creative ideas. Your team should feel safe, where if they have a new idea and can throw it against the wall out loud to see if it will stick and is respected for contributing, this act alone creates trust which equates to results.

Try to avoid this scenario: for example, a Sr. creative with tons of experience comes into the meeting and makes the entire team feel little. This is not effective and creates fear and is counter-culture to great creative campaigns and, by the way, Gen Z can smell it a mile away. Collaboration is the key here to creating creative authentic relevant content.

Influencers

Particularly when working with influencers directly, allow them to create without interference and encourage them to lead the narrative. They know their fanbases the best and know how to engage them. Fans, consumers are more sophisticated and smarter today than ever. I have found myself many times kindly educating brands on how the optimization of dollars spent for an authentic content campaign is reliant on reach and no one can unlock that better than the influencer. The opportunity lies in constraint and not to judge, but to support.

So, if you want to obtain creative content at a better, faster pace than you are now, creating a culturally creative environment is important, not to mention a great way to build your team for long-term success. This will help you to create an atmosphere for your team where they feel safe to share new relevant ideas. Making this change will increase the volume of content as more ideas more frequently start executing.

Try this strategy out today and let me know how it works for you!

Published February 23, 2022

What To Say When An Interviewer Calls You At A Bad Time

It finally happens! The phone rings and, being in active job search mode, you eagerly answer every unrecognized number because it could be your next employer. But at the particular moment, you’re at the gym, in line at the grocery store, or picking up your kids from after-school sports.

When the phone rings in these situations, it can be mentally jarring, and therefore difficult to focus. Not to mention you’re unlikely to have your resume or other notes in front of you about the particular company. (You did take notes on your company research, right?) So, resist the urge to proceed with the phone interview anyway, out of fear that you won’t get another chance. You will, as long as you set the proper tone of this initial conversation with the recruiter.

Here’s what to say when an interviewer calls at a bad time:

Answer The Phone Correctly

Woman gets a call from a recruiter at a bad time

Since most jobs are going to require that you speak to some other human being inside or outside the company, it’s important to demonstrate how you would answer the phone in professional circumstances.

The first impression you give the interviewer should be an indication of the first impression you would give to that company’s vendors or customers. Eliminate the awkward five seconds when the recruiter, probably thinking it’s you, is required to ask for you, only for you to respond with, “Who’s calling?” (or the more defensive version, “Who’s this?”). The wrong inflection can make you seem like you’re avoiding bill collectors, and the entire exchange slows the flow of conversation. Instead, smile—yes, smile through the phone (people can tell!)—then announce your name.

A simple, “Hello. This is Joe,” will immediately confirm to the recruiter they’ve reached the right person and set the stage for a pleasant exchange.

Express Gratitude And Enthusiasm

Woman talks to an interviewer on the phone

Over the phone, your voice, tone, and attitude are the sole criteria available to the recruiter in these initial moments. This is the opportunity you were waiting for, so be happy about it. Regardless of the busy scenario you’re caught up in, if you had a second to answer the phone, then you have a second to ensure your tone is positive.

Continue to build on your pleasant-sounding foundation. Say, “Thanks so much for calling. I was hoping I’d hear from you. I’ve been really excited about this opportunity since I first came across it.”

Speak The Truth (Or Something Like It)

Man talks to an interviewer on the phone

Clarify that you can’t talk right now, but don’t overshare. When you call someone at work who can’t speak right now, their administrative assistant says, “She’s in a meeting at the present moment,” regardless of what the case actually is because it really doesn’t matter. Maintain the same level of professionalism—no need to say you’re two minutes from completing your 10-minute mile on the treadmill. Your objective is to politely and firmly end the current call.

Demonstrate your professionalism and initiative by setting up the next call. It’s like a date. When you ask someone out, if the response is, “No, I can’t,” then you have to wonder if that means no forever or just no to that particular day. Either way, not a good feeling. But if the response is, “I can’t on Tuesday. How about Thursday?” then you have something definite to go on. Apply the same concept to the conversation with the recruiter. Say, “I need to be in a quieter place in order to focus. May I return your call in one hour?”

Phone interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially when you’re caught off guard. The next time an interviewer calls you at a bad time, remember these three things. You’ll be sure to leave a great first impression and successfully avoid an awkward phone call.

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Published July 21, 2022

Boomerang Employees: 5 Ways To Ensure They Come Back Successfully

In todayâs candidate-driven job market, employers are looking to the past to fill todayâs open roles.

Once considered disloyal because they quit for greener pastures, boomerang employees are now very attractive as hiring leaders struggle to fill job vacancies created by pandemic layoffs, the “Great Resignation/Reshuffle,â and increased production. Some boomerang employees may have retired early during the pandemic, but are now hankering for more to their days than golf and CNN. Finally, boomerangs may have been wrongly dismissed, or a change of leadership has softened the gaze of the new hiring leaders. Whatever the reason, boomerang employees are a growing segment of todayâs candidate pool.

As unemployment drops to record-low levels and workers become more selective about their career goals and company mission, sometimes a familiar face is just who you need to see in a hard-to-fill role. Itâs time to eliminate the loyalty issue and bring back some institutional knowledge.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Rehiring Boomerang Employees From An Employerâs Perspective?

Hiring managers look at each other while interviewing a job candidate

PROS:

Such workers bring industry and institutional knowledge and experience to the job, including the new skills and training they acquired while at another company.
Having experienced other workplaces, boomerangs may be more dedicated to and appreciative of their former employer than they were before.
In cases where clients followed boomerangs to their new companies, those clients may well follow the boomerang back.
Boomerangs can be a good fit when a company needs to fill a position quickly.
If they fit with the employee culture the first time, they will likely fit again.
Their work ethic and the quality of their work are known commodities.
They can typically hit the ground running. Not much training or onboarding is necessary which saves time and money.

CONS

It may cause a morale issue with current staff. Some co-workers resent the rehiring or think itâs unfair. Former teammates need to be part of the conversation before bringing back a past employee, especially if the candidate previously lacked leadership skills or a culture fit.
It can also give the impression that one way to get a promotion is to quit. In other words, work elsewhere and then come back for a bump in paygrade and title.
Workers might expect their previous years of service to count toward the amount of vacation time or paid time off they receive in their new go-round. Be sure to spell out what will happen in an offer letter, or better yet, have a âbridging policyâ in your employee handbook.
A boomerang might struggle to learn new skills or form new relationships if the company has changed significantly since they left.
The candidate might now be coming back as a supervisor for their former peers which may cause resentment. Hiring leaders need to anticipate how employees will adapt to this change.
If the returning employee is retired, returning to work might affect their Social Security payments. They may need to limit their hours or earnings to minimize any tax consequences.
Check the terms of any previous severance package, pension plan, or union agreement that might limit the companyâs ability to rehire a worker. In those cases, both parties may be able to waive or change the terms of the earlier deal.
Security clearance or other certifications may have expired. What is the cost and time involved in reinstating these?

Are You Struggling To Fill Open Roles? Could Boomerang Employees Be An Option For Your Organization?

Manager shakes hands with and congratulates an employee

You likely have former employeesâ contact information in your HRIS, but if not, you can try search engines like Trupeople.com or Zoominfo.com, or LinkedIn.com to track them down.

If you do reengage former employees like my clients from the marketing and financial services industries recently have done, be sure you do not skip steps in your typical hiring process as well as:

Be clear about what may have changed in the organization since their departure (leadership, reorganization, benefits, pay, technology).
Understand more fully why the boomerang left the first time. What was missing in their prior role?
Ask what is motivating them to return. Does that align with why you want to bring them back?
Ask whether the existing team wants them back.
Consider offering a signing bonus paid out in increments as another tool to show a boomerang you want them back to stayâsometimes called a âpay-to-stay bonus.â

Boomerang employees are on the rise; for the most part, itâs a good thing for employers. You can ensure the âsequelâ is better than the original by utilizing a thorough rehiring process.

For more information on boomerang employees, please see the World At Work article âFamiliar Facesâ and listen to my podcast.

Like JoJo Siwa sings, âIâm a come back like a boomerangââhiring leaders need to be ready.