psychoanalytically-informed career assessment

My linkedin post on career assessment provoked many questions. People wanted to know about the interface. Here's my response.
 
You raise some interesting and provocative questions. For many decades now, I've worked as a psychologist and a career coach. In fact, I teach both courses at Hopkins (psychodynamic therapy and career coaching) at Hopkins. In my experience, people who present with work-life problems such as: difficulty finding a career path, job changes every two or three years (that is, those that do not lead in a direction of happiness), persistent difficulties getting along with the boss, feeling exploited at work - may or may not benefit from "career coaching" or "career counseling". It depends on what's causing the difficulties. Is the difficulty finding a career path or switching jobs every two or three years (but not going to something better) a function of something straightforward like not knowing how to identify alternative professions? Or, is it a sign of some underlying conflict such as: a(n) (unconscious) fear of success?, An unconscious need to sabotage oneself in order to get back at ones parents so as to deny them bragging rights? Or, a more fundamental difficulty identifying or being aware of ones feelings? For these difficulties, psychotherapy or even psychoanalysis might be a far more useful intervention.
 
I agree that coaching and career counseling are not regulated - so, it's tough to know what you are getting. That having been said, I've known some very good (albeit unregulated) career coaches and some very not so helpful folks with good credentials. As someone who is experienced in psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and career coaching, the classic lament that I hear from those seeking psychotherapy to deal with work-life problems is that the therapists don't understand the career world. Conversely, the complaint that I hear from those seeking career coaching is that coaches may not understand the psychological underpinnings. Hence, my bias to seek a thoughtful psychological evaluation from someone who is knowledgeable about both. In this way, the nature of your conflict can be fully assessed and a skilled clinician can offer helpful input as to what sort of help might be most useful. Admittedly, I'm biased. Typically, the career folks who I see come after having failed at their previous career attempts. And, the psychotherapy patients come when they feel that their career difficulties have not been assessed in the context psychological conflicts. Best to all, LVF
 
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Lynn Friedman, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst
Organizational/work-life consultant
5480 Wisconsin Avenue, Ste 206
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
(301) 656-9050
Associate faculty, Johns Hopkins University
http://www.drlynnfriedman.com
http://www.drlynnfriedman.typepad.com/
Follow at: http://www.twitter.com/drlynnfriedman
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