Sarah Delicate Training

In the field of Career Development, I believe a profound transformation is underway.

Globally, as we grapple with the persistent challenge of equity-deserving populations being left behind, there's an urgent need to rethink our reliance on traditional, competitive 'job readiness' models. These populations, often non-traditional by the very nature of their circumstances, require a more nuanced and inclusive approach.

Additionally, funders are increasingly 'paying for performance', connecting the bottom line to the long-term results achieved for these job seekers. So, it makes sense that we should want to engineer our services for success, to the highest degree possible. Nothing that we do is neutral on outcomes.

In the context of employment counselling, Lambert's Four Common Factors offer a lens through which we can re-evaluate and refine our practices towards influencing real outcomes.

Here are Lambert’s four factors, and their weight in this proposal:

1. Client and Extra-therapeutic Factors (40%): This factor highlights the importance of understanding each client's unique background, personal strengths, and external circumstances. It calls for a personalized approach in counselling, resonating deeply with the individual experiences and challenges faced by our clients. (Side note - this CANNOT and will never be achieved with standardized assessment tools and checklists). In the brief time we have with our clients, and the array of forms and templates we must complete, how can we make sure this is not lost?
2. Therapeutic Relationship / Therapeutic Alliance (30%): The essence of Lambert's model lies in the strength of the bond between practitioner and client. In employment counselling, this translates to fostering trust, empowerment, understanding, and a supportive environment, which are crucial for a successful journey towards employment. Without this alignment, we will have poor outcomes, early program dropouts, and lost contacts, which, considering both our purpose and our current funding models, is not good for anyone.
3. Hope and Expectancy (15%): This factor underscores the significance of instilling hope and setting realistic expectations. It's about balancing optimism with practical goals, thereby inspiring confidence, motivation and resilience in our clients as they navigate their employment paths. We need to believe in our clients. Employers need to believe in our clients. Clients need to believe in themselves. With intention, how do we currently foster this hope and expectancy? Do we?
4. Techniques Unique to Specific Therapies (15%): While Lambert's model suggests that specific techniques are less influential than other factors, they are nonetheless important. In employment counselling, this involves utilizing tailored strategies and tools to address the unique needs of our clients. There are over 400 different therapeutic approaches (HOW we practice). The modalities we choose matter, as do the models we use.

In our 2-hour on demand course we will delve into these factors while reflecting on HOW we do (or don’t) use them in our current employment counselling practice. This course is designed to be transformative, challenging participants to re-examine their current policies and practices.