Career Counseling and Assessment

     Career assessment and counseling is a must in today’s world. Beginning as early as junior high school, children are being asked to make career choices that will affect the direction of their lives. As young high school graduates, many students are confused about where their talents lie, their ability to do well in the careers they dream about, and what they really want to do. As college graduates, many find themselves disliking the career that they just spent four or more years preparing to do. Women who have raised families and have never been in the work force may find themselves middle aged with little or no work experience or education. Midlife crisis finds many people making career changes at this time in a belated attempt to “find themselves and their true vocation.” Divorce, death of a spouse, and retirement bring others of all ages, including the elderly, seeking answers to questions such as: “What can I do? How can I support my family and myself? How long will it take to prepare myself for this position?

     Dr. Todd uses a multi-dimensional approach to assisting people in the circumstances described above. Beginning with an interview, she assesses the individual needs of her client. She then prescribes a plan of action that may include some or all of the following components:

•       Intelligence testing  (to assess the capability to perform a career and obtain the education necessary for the position)

• ·      Career assessment (to assess interests, abilities and skills to perform the job and to assess the level of education necessary for the career)

• ·       Personality assessment (to assess those facets of a person’s personality that are vital to enjoying the career that one has chosen, so that a good fit can be made)

• ·      Synthesis of the above assessments (to provide an overall picture of the crucial features that help to determine if a person will be successful in a career and will be happy with their choice)