How do I go about finding a qualified career guidance counselor with a
fair working knowledge of my industry?

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Request for Question Clarification by webadept-ga on 29 Oct 2002 19:43 PST

Hi, which industry would that be? The more details we have for
questions the better the answer we can provide. Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by darrel-ga on 29 Oct 2002 19:44 PST

Hello--

What is your industry? Are you looking for a career guidance counselor
in your area? If so, where are you?

darrel-ga

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Clarification of Question by curtburch-ga on 29 Oct 2002 21:36 PST

Live in Santa Monica/West Los Angeles. Have a succesful career as a
Motion Picture Executive. Low-to-Mid six-figure income. Not sure I
want someone who exclusively works with Film Industry people, but
rather someone who has working knowledge of same. Many of my
questions/concerns would apply to any business I imagine.

Hi Curt,

"...each state has certain educational requirements. Most states
require a college degree plus one to two years of special study in
guidance counseling. Some states may also require teaching
experience."
 
'What does a Guidance Counselor do?'  
http://nene.essortment.com/guidancecounsel_rjkv.htm 
 
I thought that perhaps your first step would be to determine what
California's requirements are, and then use those guidelines to ensure
you were at least getting a properly credentialed counselor.
 
However, if this article is correct, California has no especial
guidelines for people working in this field.
 
"What education or training is required to become a career counselor? 
Many different people with a variety of educational backgrounds are in
the business of career counseling. There are presently no
state-mandated educational or experiential requirements for someone to
practice in this field. However, the knowledge, skills, and expertise
that are required cannot emerge from thin air. A person who wants to
practice career counseling in an ethical and competent manner needs to
participate in a specialized Master's degree program and acquire
supervised experience."
 
Antioch University | Santa Barbara, CA 
http://www.antiochsb.edu/prof_faqs.htm 
 
You might find this website useful. It's maintained by the California
Registry of Profession Counselors and Paraprofessionals. From it you
can access names and contact information for those people who are
registered with, and meet the standards required by, this association.
It's pretty straightforward -- click on 'Career' in the Directory and
Qualifications' box to see who's where and who's taking on private
clients. It appears that although your state has no requirements, any
organizations to which counselors belong have strict standards for
their profession.
 
Networking with friends, family, and co-workers might produce some
recommendations about some of the counselors listed here. I would also
assume that you can call and ask for references before hiring any
individual.
 
California Registry of Profession Counselors and Paraprofessionals 
http://california-registry.org/ 
 
Good luck in your search. Hope I've helped a bit. 
 
Regards, 
revbrenda1st

Good morning, curtburch!

I'm not a researcher so I can only comment on your question and offer
you what I've found.

"...each state has certain educational requirements. Most states
require a college degree plus one to two years of special study in
guidance counseling. Some states may also require teaching
experience."

'What does a Guidance Counselor do?' 
http://nene.essortment.com/guidancecounsel_rjkv.htm

I thought that perhaps your first step would be to determine what
California's requirements are, and then use those guidelines to ensure
you were at least getting a properly credentialed counselor.

However, if this article is correct, California has no especial
guidelines for people working in this field.

"What education or training is required to become a career counselor?
Many different people with a variety of educational backgrounds are in
the business of career counseling. There are presently no
state-mandated educational or experiential requirements for someone to
practice in this field. However, the knowledge, skills, and expertise
that are required cannot emerge from thin air. A person who wants to
practice career counseling in an ethical and competent manner needs to
participate in a specialized Master's degree program and acquire
supervised experience."

Antioch University | Santa Barbara, CA
http://www.antiochsb.edu/prof_faqs.htm

You might find this website useful. It's maintained by the California
Registry of Profession Counselors and Paraprofessionals. From it you
can access names and contact information for those people who are
registered with, and meet the standards required by, this association.
It's pretty straightforward -- click on 'Career' in the Directory and
Qualifications' box to see who's where and who's taking on private
clients. It appears that although your state has no requirements, any
organizations to which counselors belong have strict standards for
their profession.

Networking with friends, family, and co-workers might produce some
recommendations about some of the counselors listed here. I would also
assume that you can call and ask for references before hiring any
individual.

California Registry of Profession Counselors and Paraprofessionals
http://california-registry.org/

Good luck in your search. Hope I've helped a bit.

Regards,
revbrenda1st