Mental Health & Career Counseling
AutumnSpring specializes in counseling all levels of students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and their families as they face how schooling and working impacts what they feel and who they believe they are.
Focusing on Mental Health & Career
AutumnSpring Counseling works with clients at the point where their career and their personal wellness intersect. Joshua Kirby (counselor) holds dual certifications as a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) for mental health and Certified Career Counselor (CCC) for educational and career development. This training enables the counseling relationship to not only explore the client’s challenges, decisions, and transitions that impact their wellness, but also to collaboratively develop and implement a holistic strategy for the client to adjust and revise aspects of their schooling, training, work, and personal lives.
What is Career Counseling?
Career counseling, or more specifically “career development counseling” is an area of professional counseling specialization that prepares the career counselor to develop in their clients the skills, knowledge, attitude, and mindset for their clients to plan, pursue, obtain, and be successful at jobs across the full course of their careers. Joshua is a member of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the professional organization for career counseling and development since 1913. Joshua’s CCC credential, including its continuing education requirements, is governed by the NCDA.
Could a Career Counselor Help Me?
Career counselors are trained as counselors with additional specialization in the knowledge, skills, and strategies that support clients preparation for work, and especially for work and a career that would be fulfilling for the client. Significant career decisions begin as a student, including choices of major or track, courses, extracurriculars, internships, where and how to apply, etc. After obtaining the first job after schooling/training, a young professional faces a number of decisions that could influence their next steps toward achieving their long-term plan (if they have developed a long-term career plan). Mid-career professionals must often assess their career interests and goals in light of their health, family, social, and financial status. Late-career and retiring professionals often seek opportunities to contribute their amassed knowledge and skill, earn money, and be fulfilled without becoming overwhelmed. Needless to say, what we do in our career is a core component of our identity. And because our studies and work are so central to who we are, a counselor who is prepared to help you explore, revise, enhance, and/or find success in your career can be a very useful resource.
How AutumnSpring Might Help
Here is a small sampling of client thoughts and how Joshua Kirby might help:
“I don’t know what I want to do with my life!” – We could explore the causes and factors behind your uncertainty, assess your current interests and skills, evaluate your resources and constraints, and then strategize how to help you get from where you are to where you might like to go next.
“I hate my job but I can’t change it!” – We could tease apart the many challenges you face in your work/school and personal life, identify the most disliked aspects of your current situation, discuss how you are affected by these feelings, and try some ideas that could help you improve your situation—or your perception of it.
And here’s a few other common thoughts that might resonate:
- “I gave my company the best years of my life and they just tossed me aside.”
- “I have so much more to offer and yet they won’t give me any new projects.”
- “My parents want me to become a [doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc.] but I want to be a [name vocation here]….”
- “I’m happy I stayed home with the kids, but now I need to return to work.”
- “All I do is teach online all day and I’m kind-of lonely—does anyone else feel this way?”
By no means is the list above exhaustive, but it illustrates just how central our careers are to our personal wellness.
Some Options to Consider
By combining mental health and career counseling and support services, AutumnSpring Counseling might help you resolve some challenges that span across multiple facets of your life. Some options you may wish to ask about include:
- Individual counseling
- Group counseling
- Career assessments: interests, skills, values, fit,
- Personality and psychological profiles
- Application package development (résumés, CVs, letters, essays, portfolios, social networking)
- Interview preparation and rehearsal
- Small group intervention with parents, peers, coworkers, bosses, etc.
- Workplace climate assessment (for companies and organizations)
- Team dynamics assessment and counseling
Overall, AutumnSpring aims to help clients bridge, understand, and appreciate the connection of their personal and work/school selves using contemporary therapies, tools, and techniques. To learn more, click “Request an Appointment”
Getting Started is Easy
Free 15 Min Chat
Contact us to schedule a screening call. This call helps us understand what you’d like help with, and the support we may provide.
Book Appointment
After the screening you may be invited to book your first appointment with us. Availability varies, but we try to see you soon.
1st Session!
The first session, the intake (or diagnostic) session, allows you and the counselor to familiarize with each other and the situation.