Richard G. Beery, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist (PSY 3887)
921 The Alameda
Berkeley, CA 94707
(510) 525-4480
COUNSELING FOR THOSE WHO NEED OR DESIRE A CLEARER SENSE
OF OVERALL DIRECTION
Many people find the process of counseling and testing useful when
they have a general need to take stock of themselves. They may not feel
any specific career pressure or acute dissatisfaction, but just want some
additional clarity about their values, goals, and where they are going in
life.
Seeing and discussing the objective test feedback is, for most people, a
unique and fascinating experience. Many liken it to looking in a mirror,
and use words like "validating" and "clarifying" to
describe the results.
Rarely are there huge surprises (such as the discovery of a hidden interest
or personality trait one would never have imagined he or she possessed).
Instead, what is much more common is that individuals see qualities in themselves
that they had always taken more or less for granted, or assumed that everyone
had. Or interests may show up that have been long neglected, or never taken
seriously. Considering these factors in one's career and life planning can
prove an enriching experience.
Tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can bring a whole new perspective
to understanding yourself and other people. The Indicator celebrates individual
differences, under the positive assumption that there are and need to be
many different valid and legitimate ways of operating in the world. Many
individuals who learn more about their results through counseling become
enthusiastic "type watchers," seeing in this framework an exciting
new way of understanding people.
Another useful outcome of the testing and counseling process is the identification
of conflicts or cross-currents that exist in one's goals and aspirations.
For example, someone may have a great desire for independent self-expression,
but also a strong need for security. Trying to suppress either one or the
other can be very unsettling and never really satisfying. While test results
cannot provide a quick and easy way to resolve this dilemma, they are often
the first objective experience a person has of seeing the issue, and thus
provide a starting point for beginning to work toward its resolution.
Perhaps because of this unique perspective, it is not unusual for people
to return for re-assessment at a later time in life. The earlier test results
thus form an interesting "baseline" from which to see and actually
measure changes in interests, needs, values, and personal style over the
intervening years.
I make it a policy to keep the test results on file, and to offer unlimited
brief telephone consultations at no charge for people who have gone through
the assessment process. This can provide a useful sounding-board when a
specific job option arises, and a person wants to check out how reasonable
it looks in terms of the assessment we have done.
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