Career Counselling Available in South Africa (Online)

The moments in life
where you have to
make choices about your future
can be unsettling and challenging.

If you are an adult…

You may be experiencing:

• I feel stuck in my career
• I don’t know if I should change jobs
• I’ve lost motivation or meaning
• I don’t know what I really want anymore.
• You may feel the pressure of changing circumstances.
• You may be at a place where you doubt yourself.
• You may even be afraid of making the wrong decision.
• Or that you will not be able to create a new future for yourself.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Lots of people experience it in some way or other when it comes to making subject choices, initial career choices, and choices to change their careers.

And if you feel a little confused, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It simply means you’re human and need someone to guide you in your quest to make the best choices possible.

SO… you don’t have to stay stuck. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

My name is Karen Smithies, and I offer online career counselling for students and adults throughout South Africa. Whether you’re in Cape Town, Bloemfontein, the Vaal triangle, Pieterburg, or Durban, you can connect with me from the privacy and comfort of your own home.

Whether you are choosing subjects, thinking about what to study, or wondering if it is time for a change, this is a place where you can start to take on the challenge… and make the best possible choices for your life and future.

And I can help you find clarity about your options – and yourself – so you can determine you next, best step forward.

What you need to understand about career counselling

Many career websites focus only on

• What jobs are out there,
• What skills or qualifications you need,
• And what opportunities are available in the market place.

That matters. But it is often not enough.

Real clarity comes from understanding:

• Who you are,
• What matters to you, and
• What’s been holding you back.

When it comes to making better choices, YOU MATTER: your strengths… your values… your fears… and your life story!

You see, career decisions are not just logical.

They are deeply personal.

It is in understanding yourself better that you will be able to make better choices for your future.

The goal is not just to choose something. The goal is to choose something that resonates with who you are. Whether you’re choosing school subjects or feeling stuck in your career, we help you find a path that truly fits you.

And that’s where I work differently.

I combine psychology with practical guidance to help you make decisions that actually fit your life – not just your CV.

It’s all about helping you:

• Think more clearly,
• Discern the options and possibilities,
• Find more direction,
• Make clearer decisions (about subjects or careers) that feel right for you,
• And take the actions needed to create your future.

And you can work with me online – from wherever you are.

And we’ll work together – helping you gain insight and strategies to move forward.

No travel. No waiting rooms. Just focused, personal conversations.

How I can help with your career choices

If you are an adult…

I can help you:

• Slow down and think more clearly
• Find clarity about your direction
• Discern the options and possibilities
• Work through doubt and uncertainty
• Navigate career changes
• Make decisions that feel right for you.
• Take action.
• Build a career that fits who you are

Why online career counselling works

For most people, online career counselling is just as effective as in-person sessions.

Because:

• You are in a familiar, comfortable space.
• It’s easier to fit into your day.
• You can focus without distractions.
• The conversation stays personal and meaningful.

Your sessions are:

• Private
• Confidential
• Focused on you

It creates a space where you can:

• Speak openly
• Think clearly
• Explore your options without pressure.

How online career counselling works

1. You contact me and we set up an upfront Teams/Zoom consultation of 30 minutes – either for yourself or yourself and a parent/guardian.
2. During our first conversation we talk about a variety of things that will help me understand and guide you better: your situation, what you want to achieve through counselling, why you are unable or hesitant to make a career choice on your own, your  strengths and weaknesses, etc. I will also provide information on what to expect from the assessments.
3. You complete the assessments online. It takes approximately six hours. To get the best results I recommend that you spread them out over two days.
4. As soon a I get your input I score the assessments, interpret the information and compiles a feedback report that integrates the information from all the assessments.
5. We then set up a feedback session on Teams or Zoom to discuss assessment results and options regarding subject choices, career choices or career changes. During this session we use the feedback report as a tool to discuss your choices and help you find clarity. I help you understand the results and how it can inform your choices.
6. The report is by no means a final finding to a learner on which subjects/career to choose, as this is a collaborative decision-making process.
7. I supply you with a report of the assessment feedback, including recommendations of subjects to take, careers to investigate further, career changes that may make sense to you, etc.

Practical requirements for the online process

• A computer or laptop on which you can do the assessments (cellular phone not sufficient)
• Stable internet connection to complete online assessments.
• A quiet room where you can do the assessments without disturbance.
• Sufficient rest the night before assessments to ensure you perform at your best.
• Academic record of the current year (to date) to share with the Counsellor.

Benefits of the assessments we use in career counselling

Imagine if you had a secret roadmap that showed you exactly where you would be happiest and most successful. By using four special tools (assessments) together, we can build this roadmap for your future career.

1. The 16PF Personal Profile

The first assessment  is a highly trusted tool, having been studied for over 70 years and backed by thousands of research reports. Experts call it a “gold standard” because it is very reliable at predicting how people will behave and succeed at work.

This assessment helps you understand how you behave, how you handle stress, and how you work in a team. It is like looking in a mirror to see your natural way of doing things – including your strengths. When you know and understand yourself, you can find a job that actually fits who you are.

And the benefits of this assessment?

Well, it gives you….

• The biggest benefit is a huge boost in understanding yourself. It gives you a structured way to talk about your strengths and how you naturally act.
• It helps you see your “work behavior patterns,” such as how you handle stress, how you approach solving problems, and how you interact with colleagues.
• This tool reveals your unique leadership style and management potential.
• And it predicts how well you will fit into specific team environments, which leads to higher job satisfaction and less anxiety at work.

2. The CIP Preference Profile

The second assessment (the CIP) was developed 30 years ago by a world-famous expert from the University of Pretoria. It guides you in telling your own life story… to see what truly matters to you. It is used all over the world because it focuses on what makes you unique rather than just comparing you to everyone else.

This assessment helps you look at your past challenges and turn them into hope and purpose for your future. You even get to write your own “Mission and Vision” statements to guide your path. It is a way to make sure your career isn’t just a job, but a step towards your future.

And it has a lot of benefits:

• It helps you find your life’s purpose by looking at your early experiences and turning challenges into a sense of hope.
• Instead of a computer telling you what to do, the CIP helps you listen to your own voice and author your own career-life story.
• You will benefit by creating your own Mission and Vision statements, which act like a compass to keep your future choices meaningful.
• And it allows you to find “advice from within” so that your career choice isn’t just a job, but an expression of yourself.

3. The SAVII Vocational Interest Profile

The third one (the SAVII) was created by researchers at the University of Johannesburg to ensure career tools worked well for people in their context (e.g., living in South Africa). It is considered very reliable because it was tested with thousands of people to make sure it is fair to people from different cultures and languages.

It will help you with the following:

• Matching Interests to Jobs: This tool groups your interests into six types (like “Doers” or “Thinkers”) to help you find the perfect environment where you will thrive.
• Concrete Career Lists: It provides you with actual lists of job titles and career paths that match your pattern of interests.
• Better Real-life Fit: You will benefit from a tool that understands local culture and languages, making the results more accurate for you.
• Better Staying Power: Research shows that if you choose a career based on these interests, you are more likely to stick with your studies and succeed in your job.

4. The DAT Potential Profile

The last assessment (the DAT) was created to help you discover what you are naturally good at. It is one of the most trusted tests in the world for measuring your potential to learn new skills in different areas. It doesn’t test what you learned in class, but your potential to learn new things. It looks at how you solve patterns, puzzles, and problems.

Research shows it is excellent at predicting who will do well in special job training, which is why bosses and school counselors have used it for decades.

And it will help you in several ways:

• Measuring Potential: The main benefit is discovering your natural ability to learn new skills, even if you haven’t been taught them yet.
• Identifying Hidden Strengths: It helps you find your strongest mental abilities in areas like math, verbal reasoning, or solving puzzles.
• Predicting Success: It is one of the best tools for predicting how well you will do in specific training programs or academic courses.
• Smarter Subject Choices: You can use your results to choose school subjects (like in Grade 9) that match your natural talents, which can raise your educational goals and confidence.

BUT… Why should you use four assessments?

Because knowing only one part of yourself isn’t enough. You need to balance what you can do with what you want to do and who you are. Using these four tools together provides a complete “roadmap” for your future by combining what you are naturally good at, what you enjoy, and how you behave.

By integrating these four assessments, I can provide you with a comprehensive profile that balances what you can do, what you want to do, and how you will likely behave.

And that becomes the basis of all our discussions about your decisions and your future.

What people say about the process

“I finally felt clear about what direction makes sense for me.

“I felt less overwhelmed and more confident about my next step.”

“This helped me understand myself, not just my options.”

“I finally feel clear about my future. I wish I had done this earlier.”

“I went from feeling stuck to actually knowing what my next step is.”

“This helped me understand myself in a way I never have before.”

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CONTACT ME,
AND LET’S HAVE
A CONVERSATION

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