About Career Counseling
with Diana Gibb, PhD, LPC
Do any of the following sound like you?
- You miss a sense of joy and passion in your work.
- You don’t know what you want to do with your life.
- You want to make a change, but you’re not sure how to go about it.
- You need a better work/life balance.
- “Networking” intimidates you.
- You feel ineffective in your current job or dislike your educational path.
- You lack confidence because you’ve been out of the workforce for some time.
- Life changes—divorce, illness, children entering college—necessitate changes in work or lifestyle.
- Interpersonal or emotional issues make work or school less satisfying.
- A planned or unplanned career transition is causing stress, anxiety and/or depression.
- You are a high school or college student or adult needing to make educational plans.
These are just of few of the many kinds of issues that career counseling can help to resolve. Reviewing your career or educational situation with a professional, determining what steps need to be taken, and working together to implement those steps can help you to make the changes you seek. Please read on to learn about the role of a career counselor, the kinds of activities you might engage in with such a specialist, services for high school students, and the credentials of our career counselor, Diana Gibb, Ph.D., LPC.
What is a career counselor?
Career counselors hold graduate degrees in counseling and have specialized, through coursework and/or experience, in helping people to make and carry out decisions and plans related to life, career and educational directions. They are held to the same ethical and confidentiality standards as other members of the counseling profession.
What kind of work will I do with a career counselor?
Depending on your situation, career counseling may include:
- Clarifying your life, career and educational goals
- Completing and discussing tests, inventories, and other exercises which assess aptitudes, interests, personality characteristics, skills and values.*
- Engaging in between-session exploratory activities
- Utilizing career planning and occupational information systems
- Improving decision-making skills
- Developing an individualized career plan
- Learning job hunting strategies and skills
- Resolving work adjustment issues
- Integrating work and other life roles
- Providing support for job stress, job loss and/or career and life transitions
- Exploring non-work roles for their contribution to life satisfaction
- Considering the impact of all mental and physical health issues on life planning
- Exploring the meaning of work in your life
- Facilitating change
- Working in groups or individually
- Accessing community resources
*We offer the Myers-BriggsType Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) in both hard copy and online formats. These are two of the most popular and useful career-related assessments available. Other non-standardized assessment activities are utilized as necessary. Dr. Gibb has extensive training in the use of the MBTI and SII, and has supervised many professionals in the use of these instruments. (MBTI and SII are registered trademarks of Consulting Psychologists Press.)
Career Counseling for High School Juniors and Seniors
High school can be a time of high anxiety for both students and parents as post-high school plans become necessary. Many students need or could benefit from more personalized attention than most schools can provide. We assist students to better understand:
- Their own career-related characteristics, such as personality, interests, skills and values
- How their characteristics relate to educational and work options
- How to develop and explore post-high school options
- Their own decision making style
- A career/lifeplanning process which they can use repeatedly throughout their lives
Helping students get off to a good start is a very rewarding part of our work!
About Dr. Gibb
Career services are provided by Diana Gibb, Ph.D., LPC, who has thirty years of experience working with teenagers and adults on education- and work-related issues. For over ten years, Dr. Gibb facilitated the community career counseling program at George Mason University. She currently serves as a consultant to GMU’s Career Services, teaches in the Counseling and Development program, and presents to community groups on a variety of career-related topics. She is a “Qualified User” of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and has been trained by the publisher in the use of the Myers-Briggs and Strong Interest Inventory.
Contact Us
Our office is centrally located in Fairfax County, Virginia in the Town of Vienna, close to such Northern Va. areas as Fairfax, Oakton, Tysons, McLean, Falls Church, Arlington, Annandale and several major thoroughfares. For directions or to contact us, click on CONTACT US.