Finding the Support You Need
Challenges in education, work, and career can affect confidence, motivation, and day‑to‑day functioning. I offer two distinct services to support people navigating these transitions. Social Work Counselling focuses on the well‑being, coping, and functional challenges that influence your ability to engage meaningfully in education, vocation, and career. This counselling may include psychotherapeutic techniques but does not involve the controlled act of psychotherapy. Career Coaching, on the other hand, is non‑clinical and focuses on goal‑setting, decision‑making, and actionable planning within your educational, vocation and career pathways.
Both pathways help you understand your strengths, values, and goals while developing practical strategies to move forward. My work is evidence‑informed, collaborative, and grounded in strengths‑based, solutions‑focused, and positive psychology approaches.
The comparison below outlines the differences between these two services so you can choose the option that best aligns with your needs.
| Feature | Social Work Services (RSW)- Regulated | Career Coaching (BCC, MS IO Psychology)- Unregulated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose / Focus | Support well-being and functional engagement in career/education; Psychosocial functioning, coping, healthy participation in school, work and career. | Support goal achievement and actionable career/educational planning; Career/educational decision-making, skill alignment, professional growth. |
| Scope / Legal Context | Regulated social work (RSW license)- offered for residents in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario, Canada. | Non-regulated coaching (BCC, MS IO Psychology)- offered for residents across Canada and the United States |
| Assessment Tools | May use psychosocial, or functional assessments, including psychometric tools, to understand coping, strengths, and barriers. | May use career-focused psychometric tools (MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, Level B) for self-reflection and career planning, and provide feedback on resumes/career materials. |
| Techniques / Interventions | Motivational Interviewing, Solutions-Focused, Positive Psychology, and Appreciative Inquiry applied to well-being, coping, and life functioning, as it relates to educational, vocational and career life. | Motivational Interviewing, Solutions-Focused, Positive Psychology, and Appreciative Inquiry applied to career and educational goals, helping clients explore motivation, identify practical steps, build confidence, and reflect on achievements and transferable skills. |
| Strengths / Skills | Help clients identify strengths, coping strategies, and values to support daily functioning at school, work and in career. | Help clients identify strengths, transferable skills, and values to guide educational, vocational and career decisions. |
| Decision Support | Assist with navigating life transitions, stress, burnout, and role changes; focus on functional and psychosocial outcomes. | Provide guidance on career pathways, course selection, retirement planning, and professional development, with actionable steps. |
| Choose | Social Work when biopsychosocial-spiritual functioning (stress, burnout, anxiety, identity disruption, or life transitions) is affecting your education, vocation or career life; you need support for coping, decision-making, or resilience in the context of work or education; there are complex barriers or personal circumstances impacting your functioning, in your education, vocation or career; you want to enhance overall life participation and well-being, not just achieve career outcomes. | Career Coaching when you need goal-directed planning and guidance for career, vocational, or educational development; you want help with decision-making, pathway planning, or professional growth; guidance is required for career tools or skill alignment; you want to focus on developmental, actionable, and future-oriented, rather than addressing psychosocial barriers. |