Career Coaching for Kaeleigh De Silva

Click on the following link for your: Vocational Style & Career Assessment for Students (VoSCA-St) Click on the following link for your: Values Profile Assessment (VaPro) Click on the following link for the: List of Questions for Interview Process Click on the following link for the: O*Net Online Career Research Tool

Career Coaching Session #1: Monday September 16, 2013

- Kaeleigh's E-mail address is k-desliva@live.com - Kaeleigh is 18 years old - She attended secondary school at ISPS up to Grade 12 and she is currently taking a gap year. - At ISPS, Kaeleigh enjoyed Biology, English, and especially Drama & Theater. She did not like Math or the other sciences. - She said that she enjoys community work, especially with underprivileged kids. - Her father works as a managing director at a large company, and her brother is currently studying business. - Kaeleigh said that when she was younger, she wanted to be a creative writer. Then as she got older she had a dream of being an actor, but now she realizes that it would be difficult to make a living in that profession. She would like a career in the field of social work, possibly with an organization such as UNICEF, where she can travel before getting married. - I asked Kaeleigh which she would rate as a higher priority:

Getting married and having a family of her own, or
Her career

Kaeleigh shared that getting married and having her own family definitely takes priority over her career. - Kaeleigh shared that she is comfortable in leadership roles, and she was the President of ISPS in her last year of high school. - I discussed the results of the VoSCA assessment with Kaeleigh, specifically her scores in the various categories of Interests, Intelligence Types, Values, and Work Styles. Her scores can be reviewed in the report itself. - Here are the careers that the VoSCA assessment recommended for Kaeleigh and how she rated them in terms of her passion level (1 is no passion and 10 is the highest passion): #1 English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (2/10) #2 Counseling Psychologists (8/10) #3 Communications Teachers, Postsecondary (3/10) #4 School Psychologists (9/10) #5 Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (7/10) #6 Education Administrators, Postsecondary (2/10) #7 Directors, Religious Activities and Education (2/10) #8 Mental Health Counselors (5/10) #9 Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary (2/10) #10 Speech-Language Pathologists (3/10) #13 Marriage and Family Therapists (5/10) #17 Clinical Psychologists (5/10) #18 Human Resources Specialists (5/10) #28 Sociologists (6/10) #31 Human Rights Lawyer (9/10) - Kaeleigh seems to lean more toward a career in the field of Psychology working with children. - We discussed how Kaeleigh would rate herself in terms of her emotional IQ (EIQ) and she said that she is emotionally balanced, and is able to express her emotions well. I stressed the importance of developing a healthy EIQ as Psychologists have recently discovered that it is as important and maybe even more important than having a high IQ score. I asked her if she would be willing to do the MEIQ assessment and she said yes. - I also asked her if she would be willing to complete the Values Profile assessment as this would also help her in discerning the best career path to match her values, and she said yes. - We also discussed Kaeleigh's spirituality, and she said that she is a Roman Catholic, but currently does not attend Mass very much. This came about because she has read about other world religions, and she also lost a good friend George two years who died tragically at the age of 17. I shared with Kaeleigh my own faith journey, and how I lost my faith completely from age 18 to 24 when I was studying Physics in Canada. I also told her how God brought me right back to the Catholic Church through a personal encounter with His Son Jesus Christ. I also shared the faith journey of the great writer C. S. Lewis who was a Professor at Cambridge University and was a staunch atheist. After researching world religions and the founder of each religion, C. S. Lewis came to the conclusion that Christianity was radically different to all other religions because its founder Jesus claimed to be God. C. S. Lewis beleived that Jesus' life backed up his claim that he was actually God in the flesh. - We also discussed Kaeleigh's physical health and exercise habits, and she said ... Acknowledgements from Session #1: - I acknowledged Kaeleigh for completing the VoSCA assessment - I also acknowledged her for coming to these Career Coaching sessions to get a better understanding of what career path she would like to pursue. Takeaways from Session #1: - Kaeleigh liked the process of doing the assessment she feels a little clearer about the process of career discovery. Action Plan from Session #1: - Kaeleigh will review the VoSCA report in more detail and research on the Internet using the O*Net Online Career Research Tool (www.onetonline.org) the recommended careers above which she scored 5 or more out of 10, and document her research in this password-protected blog under the section at the end called “Leave a Reply”. The careers on her shortlist in order of her passion level are: #1 School Psychologists (9/10) #2 Human Rights Lawyer (9/10) #3 Counseling Psychologists (8/10) #4 Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (7/10) #5 Sociologists (6/10) #6 Mental Health Counselors (5/10) #7 Marriage and Family Therapists (5/10) #8 Clinical Psychologists (5/10) #9 Human Resources Specialists (5/10) - She also agreed to see if any of the careers in the Related section of the O*Net Online website catch her interest, and to put those in the blog as well. In particular, she should at least copy and paste the following sections from the O*Net site into the blog: Tasks, Knowledge, Related Careers, and Wages & Employment Trends. - Kaeleigh also agreed to the complete the Values Profile assessment. - The next session was scheduled for Wednesday September 18, 2013 at 3:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #2: Wednesday September 18, 2013

- Kaeleigh shared that she did some research into the various careers on her shortlist from the VoSCA report, which I commended her for. - In particular, she noted that only three Universities in the US offer drama therapy as a 1-year post-graduate specialization after an undergraduate Psychology degree. New York University was one of them. - We then reviewed Kaeleigh's Values Profile assessment report, and the results below are a summary of her top values - those that are most important to her and on which she bases her life decisions and goals. Her Core Value is her top value overall. Her Work Value is her top value in her professional life, and takes into account aspects like career path, work tasks, and job environment. Her Personal Value is her top value in her personal life and reflects issues related to relationships, hobbies, and world view. Top Core Value: Social Values Those who place importance on social values enjoy being helpful, kind and agreeable. They think it's important to try to find the good in everyone, and have faith that if they dig deep enough, they'll find it. They give of themselves, whether on a small scale (e.g. by spending time with a friend in need), or on a global scale (e.g. by volunteering for a human rights organization). In helping others overcome obstacles, people with social values hope to assist them in becoming the best they can be. They are giving and compassionate individuals. Social people likely become passionately angry at signs of social injustice. They enjoy and benefit from being with others, both in their work and personal sphere, and as a result, seek out jobs and activities where this is possible. In times of crisis and change, people with social values are both a source of comfort for their family and friends, and able to be comforted by them as well. Top Personal Value: Social Values For people whose top personal value is social, their interests, hobbies, home life and general attitude will revolve around people. In their free time they seek to be surrounded by those they care about, as relationships in general are very important to them. On a wider scale, they may start social causes or respect and support those people who fight for them. Those with social values have a knack for networking and connecting with others - they simply cannot imagine their lives without the camaraderie of others. While almost anyone would dislike conflict, people with strong social values are particularly affected by it. It bothers them to see others in pain or to see a relationship break apart, and so they will strive to help, heal, and resolve disagreements. Top Work Value: Social Values People for whom social values are important in work settings are happiest and utilize their talents best when their job does some good for mankind, they have contact with people, and/or they do not feel that they are taking advantage of others. People with social values either work or see themselves working in a "helping" profession (e.g. medicine, nursing, teaching, or counseling). Even if they don't, they probably bring a sense of humanity to their position that makes them considerate to fellow employees, employers and clients. They are often very personable colleagues - people may come to them for help and advice, and they are often well-liked. If social people work in a position where they do not have contact with others, either coworkers or the public, they may feel lonely and frustrated, especially if their job doesn't satisfy any other values they may hold. - Here are Kaeleigh's graphs from the VaPro report:

- The following is a summarized version of Kaeleigh's results, categorized according to her Dominant Values (those that are most important to her), Influencing Values (those of moderate importance to her), and Minor Values (those of least importance to her). Dominant Values

Social Values
Aesthetic Values

Influencing Values

Realistic Values
Political Values
Traditional Values
Theoretical Values

Minor Values

None of the values fall into this category

- The suggested occupations for those with social values:

Caregiver/Nurse
Physical Therapist
Animal Trainer
Teacher
Counselor/Social Worker/Psychologist *
Personnel Trainer
Civil Rights Lawyer *
Receptionist
Customer Service Representative
Retail Salesperson

- The two career categories above marked with an * confirm some of the careers that are currently on Kaeleigh's shortlist from our last session. - The following careers from the VoSCA assessment still interest Kaeleigh: #1 Counseling Psychologists (9/10) #2 Civil Rights Lawyer (9/10) #3 School Psychologists (8/10) #4 Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (7/10) #5 Mental Health Counselors (5/10) #6 Marriage and Family Therapists (5/10) Acknowledgements from Session #2: - I acknowledged Kaeleigh for completing the Values Profile assessment in such a short space of time. - I also commended her for the research that she completed on some of the careers on her shortlist from our last session. Takeaways from Session #2: - Kaeleigh feels even better now that her shortlist of careers is down to just six careers. Action Plan from Session #2: - Kaeleigh will continue researching the careers on the VoSCA shortlist, which are: #1 Counseling Psychologists (9/10) #2 Civil Rights Lawyer (9/10) #3 School Psychologists (8/10) #4 Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (7/10) #5 Mental Health Counselors (5/10) #6 Marriage and Family Therapists (5/10) - See if any of the careers under the Related section of each of the recommended careers are of interest, and put those in the blog as well. In particular, at least copy and paste the following sections from the O*Net site into the blog: Tasks, Knowledge, Related Careers, and Wages & Employment Trends. - She also agreed to read the Values Profile report in more detail. - Kaeleigh will complete the Multidimensional Emotional IQ (MEIQ) assessment before our next session. - She also agreed to start the interview process with the appropriate professionals that correspond to the careers on her shortlist, using the Microsoft Word template provided at the top of this blog. - The next session schedule was scheduled for Monday September 23, 2013 at 3:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #3: Thursday September 26, 2013

- Kaeleigh posted her comments on the blog, and she stated that "After rigorously researching possible careers from the shortlist, I am excited to say that Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on Drama Therapy meets all of my requirements and more!" - I congratulated Kaeleigh for her firm decision on deciding to pursue a career as a Counseling Psychologist. - Kaeleigh mentioned that she had met with Karen Hatch when she was younger and so she is looking forward to meeting with Karen to discuss the field of Counseling Psychology. - I asked Kaeleigh if she wouldn't mind interviewing Maureen Bowen, who works at Hadco Limited as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist. She said that would be helpful because both careers in Psychology share the same undergraduate degree. - Kaeleigh and I then reviewed her MEIQ report together, and her overall score was 112/155, which puts her in the 79 percentile of all test-takers. This is quite a good score for someone of Kaeleigh's age (17), and so I commended her for this.

- The following is a summarized version of Kaeleigh's results, categorized as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitation: Strengths

She is doing well in the area of Emotional Identification, Perception, and Expression
She is aware of her strengths and weaknesses
She was able to recognize the emotions depicted on the test
She typically acts in accordance with her values
She has a positive mindset
She is empathetic
She is socially insightful
She possesses healthy coping skills
She is driven toward further self-development
She is able to let go/rise above minor issues
She is able/willing to adapt her social skills to the circumstances around her
She has a healthy level of self-esteem

Potential Strengths

She has a satisfactory emotional IQ level
She possesses some emotional self-awareness
She is moderately comfortable with emotions in general
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Facilitation of Thought
Her approach to problem solving is sometimes conducive to resolution
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Understanding
She performed relatively well on the emotional integration aspect of the test
She chose some reasonably good forms of resolution for conflict situations on the test
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Management
Her impulse control is satisfactory
She shows some self-control
She is reasonably resilient/hardy
She is reasonably self-motivated
She seems to be reasonably content
She is moderately goal oriented
She shows some social responsibility for the wellbeing of others

Limitations

She has a tendency to ruminate excessively
The manner in which she would resolve conflict situations on the test were not always the most beneficial
She is not very assertive
She seems to struggle to act independently
Her flexibility is limited

Acknowledgements from Session #3: - I acknowledged Kaeleigh for completing the MEIQ assessment, and scoring well in it! - I also acknowledged her for deciding on her career path in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on Drama Therapy. Takeaways from Session #3: - Kaeleigh feels happy that she has decided on her career path, and is excited to apply to Universities in the US to pursue this path. Action Plan from Session #3: - Kaeleigh agreed to review the MEIQ report in more detail, and to try some of the recommendations in the Advice section at the end of the report. - Kaeleigh also agreed to interview Karen Hatch who is a Counseling Psychologist, and to also interview Maureen Bowen who is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist. She also agreed to document her interview results in the blog. - She also committed to pursuing her ACT exams in the near term, and to apply to the appropriate US universities for Psychology.

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