Competency Category: Professional Practice
Professional Practice include 34 competencies across 9 series that enable effective practice. Foundational to Career Development Professionals (CDPs), these competencies are also indicative of related fields of practice.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) collaborate with clients to understand their current mental health and to identify and implement strategies to improve, or sustain mental health. CDPs help clients recognize that all individuals have periods when their mental health is above or below its usual level.Mental health is distinct and differentiated from mental illness. CDPs recognize that symptoms of mental illness, as well as stigma associated with it, will need to be accounted for in the career development process. While providing assessment, treatment or clinical support for mental illness is beyond the scope of a CDP, they may work with the client on career development issues together with other professionals providing treatment and support for the mental illness.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) recognize that values and beliefs held by a person may be aligned with, or different from, their own. CDPs reflect on their own values, beliefs, privileges, and biases, both conscious and unconscious, while seeking to understand those of their clients. CDPs challenge their own assumptions and avoid stereotypes that might negatively impact the well-being of the client and the outcomes of the intervention.CDPs develop the skills necessary to better understand diversity and inclusion principles as they impact the client populations they serve. CDPs develop individualized services to meet the needs of each client.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) work with employers to promote an accessible and inclusive workforce. CDPs use a business case approach to engage employers and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) advocate on behalf of clients to ensure accessibility to services and programs, including those beyond career development services, such as access to public services, social programs, education and training needs, or health services.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) keep well-informed of research presenting empirical evidence of interventions that work best to help clients find and keep meaningful employment. Using these insights, CDPs develop evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) monitor the progress of each client to assess their engagement and participation in activities and to verify if the actions are appropriate or should be modified to achieve their action plan. If the client is working with multiple service providers, CDPs involve these as appropriate.These findings can also inform organizational strategy, such as the delivery structure, services offered, and partnerships with other service providers.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) maintain all documentation relevant to the delivery of career development services. Documentation is required to support an evidence-based practice including planning, implementing, and evaluating the services delivered.CDPs are accountable to clients, employers, and funders for the services they deliver. Well-maintained records help protect CDPs from professional liability in the event they become the subject of legal or ethical proceedings. CDPs maintain accurate, current, and pertinent records of services, as may be required. The records must contain sufficient detail for regulatory and administrativereview of services.CDPs can only use client information for the purpose for which it was intended. Maintenance of appropriate records may be needed for institutional, financial, and legal purposes.
CDPs make reasonable efforts to protect against the misuse of records. Where CDPs are employed by an organization, or engaged as contractors, they should consider relevant organizational policies and procedures.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) work cooperatively with colleagues, employers and the local community to broaden experience, keep up-to-date with research and share ideas to improve practice. Members of a CDP’s network can be based locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) engage in continuous learning to achieve successful intervention outcomes. CDPs develop an individualized training plan to build on their key strengths and address areas needing improvement.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) collaborate with others to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) reflect on their own values, beliefs, biases, emotions, and responses to client situations. This awareness enables them to acknowledge, and react appropriately to, situations that trigger emotional responses. This protects personal wellbeing while optimizing services delivered to clients.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) demonstrate respect and civility in their interactions with others to promote a safe and healthy workplace free of harassment and discrimination.