Vocational Assessment & Counselling

What is Vocational Assessment & Counselling?

The main objectives of vocational assessment are to identify:

  • Idealistic and realistic job options from over 2000 occupations.
  • A client’s strengths/skills which may help the client to return to or find suitable work.
  • A client’s weaknesses/lack of skills which need to be enhanced, overcome or modified for the client to return to or find suitable work.
  • A client’s present psychosocial functioning and its impact upon possible employment.

Vocational counselling occurs when the vocational assessment has been completed and the client wishes to obtain help and support in completing the recommendations of the assessment in finding suitable work.

What is Involved?

A vocational assessment typically takes between 1 to 2 hours to complete depending on the extent that a client’s psychosocial functioning needs to be assessed as part of the process of identifying job options.  Vocational counselling typically occurs between one to six hourly sessions depending on the length of time the client has been out of the workforce, and the barriers to work.  It is expected that during the counselling process over the ensuring weeks, the client will take steps to complete activities assigned by the psychologist for the purpose of returning to work or finding suitable jobs.

About a week prior to the vocational assessment session, the client will be sent a “Vocational Assessment Questionnaire” to be completed and given to the psychologist at the first session.  This questionnaire asks questions about the client’s work history, courses studied, job search skills, and preferred jobs.  Completion of this questionnaire provides important information at the first session.  During the first session, the psychologist interviews the client further based on this information.  Finally, with the help of the psychologist, the client completes a questionnaire which identifies the client’s job preferences and interests.

Outcomes and Expectations

By the end of this first session the client will have identified:

  • A strong realisation of the qualities of their preferred jobs.
  • Three possible idealistic and three realistic jobs.
  • Some steps/strategies required to get more information about their realistic jobs.

It is expected that the client will:

  • Prior to attending the first session complete the Vocational Assessment Questionnaire.
  • Cooperate and diligently give information during the assessment.
  • Take steps to carry out the recommendations of the assessment in finding jobs.

Further Information

Please contact Parkside Medical for more information.