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Blu Ripples Career Counselling: Mental Health In Career Development – Guidance for Career Development Practitioners

Mental Health - Guidance for Career Development Professionals

In early 2017, one proposed as a then sitting member of the CDAA NSW Committee a webinar entitled Mental Health in Career Development.

Drawing on ones’ experiences and qualifications as a nationally registered Counsellor, as well as conducting extensive research with individuals with diagnosed mental health conditions in ones’ local region, together with research from various journals and articles one developed a comprehensive and meaningful webinar outlining: -

  • Mental Health in the Career Development Industry – A need to understand the fundamentals
  • What is a Mental Health Disorder or Illness
  • Top 3 Mental Health Conditions in Australia including definitions, statistics, risk factors, signs and symptoms
  • Role of Stress
  • Our role as Career Development Practitioners – Best Practice
  • Impact of Mental Health Conditions on an individuals’ career – what to look out for
  • Tips and strategies from individuals with Mental Health Conditions
  • Mental Health Signs and symptoms forms for adults and minors
  • Resources and Referral Information

As a Career Development Practitioner, it is not our job to diagnose a client with a mental health condition, that is the role of the clients’ doctor, specialists and/or mental health practitioners.  However, as Career Development Practitioners we do have a duty of care to all clients to ensure that no additional harm is done to our clients whilst they are utilising our services; and to ensure that we act ethically with respect to the administration of psychometric instrumentation.

Thus, it is ones’ opinion that it is important for all individuals in the Career Development industry to understand the fundamentals of Mental Health in order to effectively facilitate our clients, identify signs and symptoms of Mental Health Conditions, to know when and how to refer clients to ensure due diligence is carried out and that career strategies engaged are effective, meaningful and ethical in accordance with the needs of the client, industry guidelines and regulations.

In fact, one would go so far as to state that tertiary providers should incorporate fundamental Mental Health modules into their Career Development courses to ensure that all graduating practitioners have a basic understanding prior to entering the workforce or commencing their own private practice.

Well Katherine, that’s a very interesting perspective but it doesn’t affect me or my organisation!

Well, one is here to challenge you and to say Think Again!

The Medical Journal of Australia (Aug 09), Mindframes and the Black Dog Institute identifies the Top 3 Mental Health Conditions in Australia to be:-

Career Development Professionals – Sorting the Chaff from the Wheat

Author: Katherine Foster
www.bluripples.com.au

Career Development is a large umbrella or net that draws together a myriad of Career Services occupations and brands them together in one category with the purposes of facilitating and empowering a client in the exploration, development and management of their career over the course of their career life cycle.

What Occupations Fall Under Career Development?

There are a multitude of Career Service occupations that fall under the Career Development banner including: -

  • Career Advisor
  • Career Coach
  • Career Consultant
  • Career Counsellor
  • Career Development Expert
  • Career Development Practitioner
  • Career Development Specialist
  • Career Guidance Officer
  • Career Management Consultant
  • Employment Counsellor
  • Guidance Officer
  • Job Developer
  • Placement Co-ordinator
  • Vocational Counsellor
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellor
  • Work Experience Co-ordinator

As detailed above, there are many occupations that fall under the umbrella of Career Development; which in ones’ opinion can potentially cause clients a great deal of stress trying to determine who is the appropriate service provider for me.

Sourcing Career Development Service Providers

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