Career Testing + Career Counseling
Dallas, Texas
The work we do each day has an incredible impact on how we experience the world, understand ourselves, and relate to others. We make decisions about where we live, whether or not and how we will build families, the way we spend our free time, and so much more based on our work.
So many of us want to do work that is meaningful - and to feel like the work we do matters. Finding an industry, organization, and role that match your skills/passions is a big part of that equation. That, alone, can feel hard enough to nail down. Determining your purpose and what brings you joy, on top of that, can feel elusive. Some of us wonder if we will ever get that experience in this life time.
The good news is there are ways that we can demystify the process together and build confidence along the way. Deepening your understanding of your hopes and unmet needs; reacquainting yourself with the creative and curious parts of you that you've probably quieted over the years; and articulating your values will help demystify the process. These are essential components of building a career that will sustain and help you leave a mark.
Sound Familiar?
Some of the common signs that it is time to work with a career counselor:
Feeling Misunderstood / Undervalued
Struggling in your current job - feeling undervalued and misunderstood. Feeling defensive and judged day-in, and day-out.
Worried About Change
Love your work but worry about changes happening and what that means for you. If AI, mergers and acquisitions, ageism, or a new role are stressful to think about, I can help.
Craving Something Different
Considering a major career change and have no idea where to start. Interested in another industry but don't know what education and certifications are actually needed to succeed.
Struggling with Burn Out
If you feel exhausted and irritable; have noticed the "fire in your belly" has been extinguished from the last few years' challenges; or dread getting out of bed in the morning for work - it's time to address this. You deserve relief and joy in your work day.
Specialized Career Expertise
Clarity Through Career Counseling
assessment
Developing greater self-awareness of strengths, interests, passions, skills, and potential is a critical part of career counseling. Depending on your goals and history, Spark and Pivot Counseling may encourage various types of assessment. If so, hard costs will be incurred, ranging from $50 to $500, which will be transparently estimated and billed with your consent. This part of the process tends to be fun - seeing some of your quirks and blind spots printed in black and white is an enlightening experience.
developed professional identity
Developing and defining your professional identity, after completing assessment and values exercises, is enriching and clarifying. Whether you have invested 5- or 25-years into your career, there's a strong chance that you've crafted and evolved your professional identity based on the role(s) you must play in certain work places to add value. Conducting this exercise independent of a work place allows you to think freely and creatively about what makes you you and gives you that much more of a chance to deteremine what the best career would be for you.
defined values
Understanding and articulating the values that are most important to you is a critical part of your career development journey, and will also likely have a positive effect in your personal life. We will work collaboratively to determine those unique-to-you values (and their prioritization) and explore what they mean for your job satisfaction and next steps. For some, this means a complete career change. For others, it may mean finding a company that better aligns. For most, it will be some degree between those two scenarios.
industry and role exploration
Depending on goals and insights gained through the other stages of the career counseling process, exploration may involve considering other types of roles within the same organization; developing criteria for identifying a company that better aligns to your needs and values; or learning what additional credentials, school, and certifications are required to change fields entirely. This part of the counseling process can take as little as 1 session or as many as 10 sessions depending on how large the change is and how ready you are.
Career Counseling Cost
Career counseling costs range between $125 - $200 per hourly session, in line with the experience level of your provider. Assessments may cost between $300 - $750, depending on your goals.
We recognize this is a significant investment, so after your intake (where we discuss your goals and potential career counseling pathway) you may request a Good Faith Estimate. This will help you understand what to expect before you get started.
To learn more about accepted payment methods, please visit our Cost page.
Hear from Career Counseling Clients
Meeting Options
virtual
HIPAA-compliant video conferencing is a convenient, accessible option for career counseling.
call
Need a break from video and face-to-face meetings? Phone sessions are available for existing career counseling clients.