Introduction to the Situation
Janet’s case shows that she is in a dilemma and she does not know what she needs to do to resolve the complex challenge she is facing. A psychological expert must win the trust of his client first to make her more willing to reveal the nature of the problem that needs to be resolved. Janet’s predicament is mainly caused by her inner fears because she does not know the best method she needs to use to actualize her expectations. Even though she acknowledges she needs to improve her current status, she feels she is not ready to take a life-changing risk that would require her to quit her job to start her own enterprise. Therefore, as a coach, I would engage in intense consultations with her to propose practical options she can use to help her overcome the challenge she is facing. Since she has conflicting interests, it would be important for me to encourage her to reflect on different activities she does and how meaningful they are to her life.
Essential elements that need attention include individual decision making, addressing personal fears, and appropriate solutions that address the problem effectively. During a consultation, feedback plays an important role because it enables a coach to understand specific progress being made by a client to solve problems she is facing. Janet is unsure about the professional path she should follow and the outcomes she is likely to experience after making her choice. In addition, Janet finds it difficult to take a decisive action that would help her to gain inner peace and contentment. It is important for Janet to find out how she is personally connected to the challenges she is facing, to enable her to have good judgment. This will help her to stop looking at the problems as barriers to success but as potential opportunities that offer different rewards to her personal as well as professional life.
Background Issues
As a young professional, Janet faces a lot of challenges which many people at her age grapple with within the early years of their careers. She yearns for a better life but does not know what she is uncertain about what she needs to do to make her life more meaningful. Therefore, even though she has an open mind regarding her career options, she is cautious about taking risks that may have a negative impact on her financial stability and professional growth in the long run. Her personal fears make it difficult for her to choose a definitive professional path that will help her to achieve her goals and aspirations in the long run. As a coach, it is important for me to encourage Janet to talk openly about various issues she is facing to enable her to express her individual thoughts and feelings better.
Young people have to contend with a burden of expectation because they feel that they will be accepted more by their friends, families, and peers if they attain high levels of success. Many modern societies place a high value on financial and professional achievements made by various individuals in different fields of practice. In some instances, some people may sacrifice their personal happiness and inner contentment chasing after elusive dreams as they seek to actualize their goals. Therefore, this illustrates the predicament Janet faces because she is afraid of making mistakes that may ultimately lead to professional failures in her career. Consequently, Janet needs to be encouraged to have a stronger character to make her see that life is made up of complex systems that every person must navigate. This will make her change her perceptions regarding personal risks because she will be in a position to understand her real purpose in life.
Recommendations and Action Plan
A psychological expert needs to demonstrate his competence by being open about his own personal capabilities and limitations. As a result, I would advise Janet to take time and evaluate her goals to enable her to make a good decision that will be good for her professional development. I would advise her to consult a professional career consultant to help her understand her capabilities and specific improvements she needs to make to help her accomplish her goals. This would help her to evaluate her skills and personal character to find out how they are well suited to different professional contexts. Since I am a professional who cares about the welfare of my clients, I would encourage her to find out specific qualities and resources one needs to become successful. As a result, this approach would help her to evaluate the problem she is facing from different perspectives to find out the best method she can use to achieve good results.
Some of the motivating factors Janet needs to use to drive the change process include: changing her personal behavior, reviewing her expectations, and setting more realistic goals that she can achieve within specific timelines. Using the functionalist theory, I would make her understand that various systems in society are driven by shared values that influence people to make appropriate choices. During the consultation, I would encourage Janet to reflect on both personal and non-personal goals that are important to her life and to find out realistic ways of achieving them. I would encourage her to interact with people who are more experienced in her line of work to prepare her for future challenges and opportunities. Therefore, this approach would encourage Jane to strengthen her commitment to her personal goals to enable her to make good decisions that are crucial for her inner fulfillment.
Some of the challenges Janet needs to anticipate include: taking uncertain risks, potential loss of financial status, and poor results which may affect her personal confidence. Therefore, I would make Janet aware of these possibilities to make her understand that the whole process is dependent on her commitment. In addition, I would encourage Janet to constantly review her expectations to find out if they motivate her to work harder to attain good results from different activities she is doing. Consequently, this would make her know that the process of change can only be meaningful if she surrounds herself with people that share similar goals and objectives. Moreover, she needs to be encouraged to develop valuable professional networks so that she learns from other people‘s experiences to make her more courageous to overcome her challenges. Therefore, she needs to be ready to embrace different possibilities that may either be rewarding or harmful to her long term prospects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Janet’s predicament is similar to what many people go through in their lives. She needs a coaching process that will make her understand her personality and behaviours that are either beneficial or detrimental to her long term success. Therefore, as a professional, I would encourage her to develop beneficial networks with other people to enable her to have a better attitude towards her personal and professional life.