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Patricia A. Crew
Master Career Counselor MA, LCPC, NBCC
Patricia has almost 30 years of experience helping individuals pursue, change, manage and advance their careers. As well as a Masters degree in counseling from Catholic University, Patricia has completed numerous post-graduate classes in counseling and career development at Johns Hopkins University.
Patricia previously worked as the Career Development Manager for the Montgomery County Government and as a career counselor for the Montgomery County Commission for Women.
She continues to be a featured speaker with recent presentations topics that include: Secrets to Predicting Career Success That Only You Know, Get Out of Your Own Way To Get What You Want in Your Career and Winning Strategies to Enhance Your Worth at Work.
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COMPREHENSIVE CAREER COUNSELING CAN HELP YOU TO: |
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~ Gain a clear understanding of your core strengths. ~ Do a thorough career exploration. ~ Manage a career change. ~ Improve your work performance. ~ Remove artificial, organizational barriers to success. ~ Navigate thorny management issues. ~ Prevent derailment by building strategic alliances.
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| CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
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"Patricia has helped me set goals for myself and
reach success after success. When we first spoke, Patricia challenged me to
take (what I thought) were crazy dreams, put them down on paper, and make them
into real benchmarks that I have since achieved.
When I contacted Patricia, my organization had just closed down and I was
looking to try something new. She helped me understand that my ideas were
not too far out-there, guiding me to find the path to where I wanted to be.
When it was hard to discern what the best decision would be, she always helped
me sort through my options strategically and pragmatically. She supported
me with her wise advice over a period of unusually turbulent workplace
changes. Under her guidance, I have since obtained two new jobs and have
now launched the exciting next phase of my career as an international capacity
building specialist.
You may think you're not the type to go for a career counselor. I didn't
think I was. But with Patricia, you'll greatly enjoy the process of
arriving at your important next step."
- A.P.
Washington, D.C.
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Volume 6: February 2009 Greetings!
Welcome
to the sixth edition of my Comprehensive Career Counseling Newsletter. I've
taken this edition in a new direction to address some of the problems effecting
many of us in the current turbulent times.
As one of
my clients recently said to me: "Not all
is gloom and doom - we need to focus and prepare for the other end...determine
what will carry us through to a brighter time which will definitely be here."
This client was displaying hope for his future. Research has shown that resilence is a key
factor in navigating through tough times.
In this newsletter, I will give you ideas on how to become more
resilient and maintain resilience to help you bridge forward to the inevitable 'good times.'
I have two workshops coming up in the spring at the Commission for Women. First is "Get Out of Your Own Way to
Get What You Want in Your Career" on Tuesday, April 14th
from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Also, I have a
workshop "Self Promotion Skills: Learning the Unwritten Rules" on Tuesday, May 12th from 6:30 to
8:30 pm. Go to the Commission for Women's Web site closer to the workshops to read more and register.
I'd
also like to remind you that I am now seeing clients on Wednesday afternoons
and evenings in Washington,
D.C. at the following
location: 1700 17th Street, NW,
Suite 201.
And finally, I'd like to
encourage you to visit my new Web site at www.crewcounseling.com
if you haven't done so already.
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Resilience:
A Key to Success in Today's Market
How does
one move forward and succeed in the face of adversity, a failing economy, a
shrinking job market, lack of promotional opportunities, challenges to our
integrity and values, unpredictability and the general unknown? From 30 years of working with a multitude of
clients, I've observed that personal resilience is at the core of overcoming
challenging situations.
But, what
is resilience and how does it apply to our future careers? What makes some
people bend and others snap under career duress? The dictionary defines resilience as the
ability to recover readily from adversity. There are many theories concerning how some individuals retain resilience
including the ability to maintain support, an inner space where one may retreat
and the capability to attract others to you. As a career counselor, I believe I have a responsibility to help my
clients become more resilient. Below I discuss
five keys to incorporating resilience into your life.
1. Be your authentic self.
"Legacy equals passion, interest,
and enthusiasm." -Toni Townes-Whitley, VP, North America,
Unisys Corp.
Continue to do what you love. Capture the essence of what enlivens you and
hold true to your values. Stay focused on the legacy you want to create in
your life. Matching your authentic self with an organization's mission is
the key to success.
2. Accept reality and the inevitability of change.
"Research suggests most people slip into
denial as a coping mechanism." -Diane Coutu
Recognize that some things are not in your control and instead focus on
what is in your control. You may be
tempted to avoid facing reality. Rely
on a career counselor to gently remind you of your current reality as
facing reality is grueling work. Break
through the denial and stay tuned in to the trends and changes in your
industry and employer.
3. Find meaning in your
situation.
"...Meaning making is the way resilient people
build bridges from present-day hardships to a fuller better constructed
future." -Diane Coutu
Look for serendipitous gains and refuse to act like a victim by keeping
your eyes on the future. Take a
long view of your career so if you find yourself getting off-course, you
can realign. Never
loose sight that you do have a future and a future career.
4. Keep your connections current and alive.
"Stay connected and renew your interest in life and those
around you." -Harvard Women's
Health Watch (Nov. 2001)
Don't allow
yourself to get lost in your job and forget basic networking. Make time to have
coffee with people in your industry and keep regular contact with friends and
colleagues to keep your network fresh and timely. Release
yourself from your loss by staying fully connected.
5. Use your creativity to be
inventive.
"When situations unravel, resilient people
muddle through, imagining possibilities where others are confounded." -Diane
Coutu
How can you
use your skills and abilities in a new way to solve your company's most
difficult problems? How can you revamp
your experience to respond to difficulties in a new and compelling
fashion? A career counselor may
help you recognize your core strengths giving you a new, more creative perspective
on your situation.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Now, Launch Your Career by Paul Carpino,
Find Your path with personal job search/career advice from the World's
Top Professionals, including Donald Trump, Dr. Patch Adams, Jeff Foxworthy and
Richard Simmons.
If I'd Known Then: Women in Their 20s and 30s Write Letters to
Their Younger Selves by Ellyn Spragins
Offers rare glimpses into the personal stories of extraordinary women and will inspire readers to live their best loves.
Jean Stafford, executive coach of Executive Coaching for Women Inc., specializes in the unique demands made on executive women. If you're in need of help in overcoming traditional barriers, identifying new business opportunities, and achieving new levels of both personal and professional satisfaction, I highly recommend that you contact Jean at 703-759-4862 or go to www.jeanstafford.com. |
PARTNERS CORNER
Marva Goldsmith
Most people
have a vision of what they want to achieve but don't understand that their
words, actions and image may be holding them back. Marva Goldsmith, a Certified
Image Professional, delivers image and branding services through workshops,
workbooks, consulting and branded collateral development that helps her clients
market their best self. Preview her new website at urbanbuzzblog.com
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| As always, I look forward to your feedback.
Sincerely,
Patricia Crew
Comprehensive Career Counseling
trishacrew@aol.com
301-838-9456
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