Counseling.Careers.org
Career Planning, Counseling and Coaching Resources
Career Counseling: An Overview
Counselors provide individuals and groups with career and educational counseling. Counselors use interviews, counseling sessions, interest and aptitude assessment tests, and other methods to evaluate and advise their clients. They also operate career information centers and career education programs. Often, counselors work with students who have academic and social development problems or other special needs.
Career counselors provide mainly career counseling outside the school setting. Their chief focus is helping individuals with career decisions. Vocational counselors explore and evaluate the client’s education, training, work history, interests, skills, and personality traits. They may arrange for aptitude and achievement tests to help the client make career decisions. They also work with individuals to develop their job-search skills and assist clients in locating and applying for jobs. In addition, career counselors provide support to people experiencing job loss, job stress, or other career transition issues.
[ Excerpted from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Counselors ]