When you are on the hunt for a job, you likely have a lot of thoughts racing through your mind. Maybe you want to find a job that has the same values that you hold. Perhaps you care more about a healthy work-life balance. Whatever your goals are, you probably are not adding “get a therapist” to the never-ending to-do list, but a career counselor can help you with job hunting.
That is to say, you can find solace in an unlikely place during your career search- a therapist’s office. If you are unsure about your professional path, working with a certified career coach can help you outline the best career choices for you according to your personality, interests, and more.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah.
Finding a job itself can be difficult, but it can become increasingly harder when you have mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression. If you struggle with a particular mental health concern, your therapist will help you explore your best career options. For example, if you struggle with social anxiety, your career counselor may direct you towards certain professional fields. For more information, read “8 Best Jobs For People With Social Anxiety.”
A type of counseling called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can teach you helpful skills. CBT therapy teaches you how to identify your negative thoughts and replace them with more positive ones. Luckily, there are specific skills you can learn with a CBT therapist that will not only lessen your mental health concerns and symptoms, but will also enhance your chance of securing a job you love.
How can career counseling help me pick the right career?
By engaging with your therapist in a one-on-one environment or doing various personality and skill assessments, therapy can help you choose the right career for you. Therapy sessions are complex. Depending on your therapist, your situation, and the type of techniques your career therapist is using, sessions will look different from person-to-person.
For example, if you are interested in career development and need some guidance on your professional journey, working with a career coach would be best. That way, your career therapist will help you identify important factors to you, such as work-life balance and salary needs. Additionally, your therapist will want to know your values, skills, and interests so that you can find a suitable career path.
Alternatively, let us say that you are experiencing workplace stress, and cannot maintain proper work-life boundaries. In CBT therapy, your therapist may ask you to identify situations that trigger workplace stress. Then, by your behavioral therapist using cognitive and behavioral techniques, you are able to learn healthy coping skills to successfully mitigate these situations and manage your mental health symptoms. To learn more about stress therapy, check out our blog “Everything You Need To Know About Stress Management Therapy.”
CBT can be especially helpful if you are struggling with work stress or burnout, a special type of work-related stress that leads to physical or emotional exhaustion and involves a loss of personal identity. To learn more about lessening stress and burnout, read our previous blog “3 Ways To Achieve Work-Life Balance” for more information.
How can a therapist help me achieve my professional goals?
As a career therapist, your counselor is there with you each step of the way. Whether you are just beginning to explore the idea of leaving your current position or you are looking to take action towards your dream job, your therapist knows how to guide you towards your goals.
For example, if you are looking to leave your current teaching job to fulfill your dream of becoming a lawyer, law school would be your next step. By taking this next step, you and your career therapist will discuss how to prepare for law school and the additional life changes that come along with it. Perhaps you will continue to work full-time so you can support yourself financially while attending law school on a part-time basis.
With this route, your career counselor and you can discuss the potential challenges you may face, and you will learn healthy coping skills to reduce your stress levels. Your therapist may also introduce you to additional resources, such as a therapy group for working professionals who are returning to school.
Overall, your career counselor will help you find resources to help you easily transition into your next career. For more guidance, check out our blog “Career Counseling: Protect Your Mental Health During A Job Change.”
I’m not happy with my current job. How can a professional therapist help me?
If you are feeling unhappy with your current position, you are not alone. It can take time to find your perfect fit, and that is okay. There is no one particular timeline you must follow. Instead, we all have different timelines.
When you are dissatisfied with your current professional position, it can be difficult to:
Fulfill your career goals
Maintain a healthy work-life balance
Create positive connections with your co-workers
When you work with a professional therapist, you have a valuable chance to express your thoughts and emotions surrounding your job change or search. In career counseling, you can navigate your professional challenges in a safe space and gain an external, unbiased perspective on your workplace situation.
Sometimes, your workplace challenges can be specific, such as a communication issue with a co-worker. To have a positive corporate environment, you must feel like you are in an open and secure space. If you are struggling with a fellow employee or fear that you cannot communicate your difficulties with management, speaking with a career counselor can be a great first step towards fostering a professional setting where you feel supported.
From working towards a promotion to wanting to leave your current job, therapy can be a great decision for your career! In your therapy sessions, you will explore your thoughts and go through possible solutions with your therapist so you can move towards your goals with confidence. If you want to enhance your confidence levels, read our blog “The Ultimate Guide To Building Self-Confidence.”
How can I find a career counselor that suits my needs?
Whether you are interested in working with a general career therapist or you specifically want a CBT therapist, you have to find a fully-licensed professional who you feel comfortable with. If you are exploring difficult emotions surrounding your career, working with a therapist can help.
At Anchor Therapy, we have therapists who are trained in helping teens and adults with any academic or job challenges you may be facing. Choosing the right career is not easy, but our counselors can assist. By clearly outlining your preferences and values to understanding your personality traits, working with one of our therapists can ensure that you are moving towards a healthy, fulfilling career.
How can attending therapy help my career?
For the majority of people, their job is a primary source of stress in their lives. Thoughts may swirl in your mind regarding your work projects, balancing work and your family life, your skills, and so on.
You may be thinking: “Am I really on the right track? Will I disappoint my team? Will I finally get the chance to leave work a little earlier than usual and tuck my child into bed tonight?.”
If you can picture yourself repeating these questions internally throughout the day, it may be a sign that something is off, and you need to prioritize your mental health. Workplace stress can impact your sleep and thought patterns. If you struggle with these negative thought patterns, read our helpful blog “6 Ways To Handle Intrusive Thoughts.”
Additional signs of workplace stress can include:
Changes in your appetite (e.g., eating too much or eating too little)
Changes in your skin (e.g., a hormonal stress breakout)
Increased irritability
Isolation
Usage of drugs and alcohol to self-medicate
General feeling of no love or excitement in your life
Fortunately, there are steps you can take in your life to create a healthier relationship with stress. Therefore, by learning to rewrite the script inside of your head, you can use your stress to motivate you instead of destroying you and your day. There are healthy habits and routines you can adopt to feel like your best self again.
One of the best evidence-based tools you can integrate into your schedule is mental health counseling.
When you work with a trained career therapist, you will learn how to understand…
Yourself
Your stress levels
Your relationship to stress
Your wants and needs in a corporate environment
By working with a career counselor, you can achieve more than you ever thought was possible and feel comfortable in your own skin!
Here are five ways career therapy can help you professionally…
You will improve your communication skills
In addition to learning about your professional wants and needs, therapy also gives you the room to learn how to practice those wants and needs with other people. When you strengthen your communication skills, you can be direct in communicating with people at your job, whether it is a higher-up or a fellow colleague.
If your needs are not being met, you will be able to identify that this is an error on your job’s part, and not a personal flaw. Now, you can identify this lack as a cause of your stress, and communicate this with a manager or boss. This can take something off of your plate by helping you recognize that not everything is your fault. When you know yourself to this degree, you can improve your self-esteem in the long-term, further lessening your stress.
To learn more about yourself and your identity, read our blog “Do You Understand Your Self-Esteem?”.
2. You will handle your relationships and environment in a more proficient manner
At the center of most things we do are the relationships we foster in our lives. From personal friendships and romantic relationships to professional connections, relationships are important.
For instance, if you want to work effectively with your professional team, it is important to understand the following factors:
What role do you play in group dynamics?
What roles feel satisfying to you? What roles bring stress to your life?
What can the team do to make you feel supported?
What are your professional strengths? What are your professional weaknesses?
By reading these questions, you may even feel like you have a hard time answering them yourself. This is where a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in professional issues comes into play.
The better you understand yourself, the more in control you will feel over your reactions and responses. Hence, you will then be able to seek out environments and relationships, both personal and professional, that feel fulfilling to you.
There will be times when you are not in control of your work environment or who you are with, but if you know your preferences, you can predict your reactions which will lessen the surprise factor. At this point, you will be able to work with your licensed mental health counselor in a proactive manner to learn healthy habits and routines that do not worsen your mental health.
For example, if your boss says something that upsets you, you may feel yourself getting triggered and upset. When you feel this sadness come on, you can take a minute to excuse yourself and go to your cubicle where you can practice a deep breathing exercise and remind yourself that you will be okay.
3. You will set healthy boundaries
When you comprehend your wants and needs, you know what you are willing to accept and what you are not willing to accept in a professional environment. You will become good at identifying non-negotiables that you, both inside and outside of the office. The understanding of your wants and needs alone can allow you to better advocate and prioritize them in your life.
For example, it may be a non-negotiable for you to take a proper lunch break at least two times a week so you can get out of the office mid-day. When you are taking a stroll to your favorite salad bar, you can change your thoughts from “I’m wasting time when I could be in the office. I should have just gotten this food delivered” to “This is what I need to be the best employee I can possibly be. This is a productive way to spend my time.”
You will also learn how to say “no” when a situation requires it. It can be difficult, especially if you are a people-pleaser, but sometimes it is necessary. Just remember - when you say “no”, you are giving yourself the opportunity to say “yes” to something else you will love. By knowing what fuels you, you can say “yes” to the things that bring genuine love and happiness into your life.
If you struggle with being a people-pleaser, check out our popular blog, “11 Reasons Why You Are A People-Pleaser.”
You do not have to be in a crisis to seek the help of a professional therapist. Therapy is a great form of self-care, especially during the process of a job search or a job change. Career counseling can help you show up differently or better in significant life events or relationships in your life. Career therapy teaches you new ways of being and healthy coping skills so that you can integrate them into your life, and have a better career.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager, Intake Coordinator, and Office Manager at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR TO ASSIST YOU IN MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE, CONTACT US
WORKING WITH US IS EASY
Fill out the contact form below.
Our intake coordinator will get back to you with more information on how we can help and to schedule an appointment. We will set you up with an experienced licensed therapist who specializes in what you're seeking help with and who understands your needs.
You’ll rest easy tonight knowing you made the first step to improve your life.
