Career Counseling

Are Your Career And Your Personal Life Out Of Balance?

Is your job a frequent source of stress? Despite your best efforts to manage your time effectively, do you often feel overwhelmed? Have you lost the motivation to work toward your goals? 

You may wonder how to avoid burnout (or how to recover from it), especially if you’ve been putting in long hours or working toward a big promotion. Or perhaps you go through the motions of your job each day without getting any satisfaction from it. As a result, you may worry that your performance may be slipping. (If you’re an athlete, you may also want to learn about Sports and Performance Counseling). 

When you think about your career path, are you hesitant, unconfident, or regretful? The path ahead may be unclear, especially if you’re a college student or recent graduate. And if you’re an experienced professional contemplating a career change, questions such as “Should I quit my job?” or “Should I go back to school?” may be difficult to answer. Or perhaps you’re asking yourself how your career fits with your personal life (learn more about how life transitions affect mental health.)

Do you often feel misunderstood, either at work or at home? You may have trouble communicating effectively with your boss or colleagues. Or it may be that stress with your partner or family creates added stress at work. If your professional responsibilities make your home life difficult, a growing distance between you and your loved ones may cause feelings of guilt and doubt. 

If you’ve never experienced career satisfaction, you might assume that work stress is inevitable. It may even seem that you are the only one having a hard time. In reality, though, most people deal with career stress or uncertainty at some point—even if they don’t outwardly show it. And there’s nothing wrong with asking for help.

Job Dissatisfaction And Career Burnout Are Extremely Common

While TV and social media make it look easy to have both a perfect career and personal life, balancing work and family responsibilities is complicated. In fact, nearly half of Americans say they are dissatisfied with their jobs. 

Living in and around Boulder County offers many opportunities for being active and having a balanced life. However, being able to enjoy these things takes time and energy that can be hard to come by when you are feeling burnt out or struggling with anxiety and depression due to the demands of work.

If you’re struggling with career dissatisfaction or uncertainty, you don’t have to continue putting up with it until your health, job, or relationships reach the breaking point. By working with a professional career counselor, you can develop greater emotional awareness, career certainty, and career/life balance.

Find Greater Calm, Clarity, And Confidence With Career Counseling

Career development coaching with a licensed therapist provides an opportunity to explore your current difficulties and future goals in a safe and supportive environment. The opportunity to talk about delicate subjects in a confidential space can help you make real, practical changes in your life. For example, if you’ve been wanting to quit your job or ask for a promotion, counseling can help you cultivate the confidence to speak up and build the vocabulary you need to express yourself.

Our therapists are person-centered, which means we believe that each person is capable of creating their own happiness and fulfillment. By developing greater self-awareness and experiencing new perspectives, you can explore career solutions that align well with your goals.

Your therapist will start by discussing your most pressing concerns, helping you to identify the source(s) of your difficulties. Once we uncover your stressors, we’ll work collaboratively to find new ways of coping.

Counseling can also facilitate the introduction of rejuvenating activities into your daily life. Our therapists can help you capitalize on your strengths and find a self-care routine that works for you as an individual. Because every person is also part of multiple social systems, we can explore how to avoid burnout in the context of your family or working group, as well. 

Most people do not have just one career over their lifetime. So, if you’re in transition or feeling unsure of your career progression, your therapist can help you navigate this uncertainty. At the same time, they can help you find clarity about your goals. Regardless of the direction your career takes, counseling can help you explore your wants and needs to help you make decisions that are right for you. Our goal is to help you reach a place of enhanced self-confidence so that you feel motivated and capable to pursue any career or academic goal you choose, without having to sacrifice other aspects of your life.

As you consider career counseling, you may be thinking. . . 

I’d rather handle this on my own. 

If you’re like many of our clients, you may be reluctant to ask for help. But, if you’ve been going it alone for months (or years) and your situation hasn’t improved, isn’t it time you try something new? Just as there’s nothing wrong with being active every week to work on your physical fitness, there’s nothing wrong with having a weekly mental health tune-up. Therapy is an opportunity to become stronger, more confident, and even more independent. 

I’m not sure my problems are big enough to warrant therapy.

You might feel as though your career stress, anxiety, or depression are somehow unjustified, especially if you feel you have many other positives in your life. You may also have grown so accustomed to your situation that it feels normal. No matter how insignificant your issues seem, every experience is valid and no problem is too small to be addressed. If you can get out ahead of things now, you may be able to avoid bigger pitfalls down the road.

I don’t want to be in therapy forever.

You won’t have to be! The time recommended for therapy depends on each situation. Some find that long-term weekly therapy is beneficial to reaching and maintaining goals, while others have specific concerns that they wish to address in shorter time periods. You are also always welcome to adjust your frequency of therapy based on your needs, as well as return to therapy after time off for periodic maintenance sessions. We encourage you to discuss your needs with your therapist to work out a schedule that fits for you and the concerns you hope to address.

Restore Balance To Your Life And Accomplish Your Goals

Our therapists are licensed professional counselors in the state of Colorado. They can offer help with motivation, support, and building insight beyond what an untrained “career coach” can typically provide. We offer a free, 15-minute phone consultation to help you learn more about our therapeutic career guidance service. Just click the button below to get started.

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