Competency Series: 3 - Client-Practitioner Relationship

Nurture a collaborative and trusting relationship

3.1 – Establish and Sustain Working Alliance

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) establish and sustain a working alliance with clients to ensure ongoing identification, monitoring and achievement of client goals remains the focus of all interactions. Appropriate attitudes and communication skills are essential to building a relationship of respect and trust. CDPs work with the client to ensure that all professional behaviours and actions are focused on meeting the unique needs of the client.

3.2 – Build Self-Agency

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) build self-agency of clients to promote independence and resilience, increase motivation, and reduce anxiety. Building self-agency also helps increase clients’ sense of control, hope, and confidence in their ability to achieve career goals.

3.3 – Help Clients Address and Prevent Conflict

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) help clients address conflicts in their professional and personal lives. This prevents issues from escalating, prevents future conflict, and allows clients to focus on their career development.

3.4 – Engage Reluctant or Resistant Clients

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) recognize that client engagement is critical for successful outcomes. CDPs develop client confidence to engage with the career development intervention, addressing resistance constructively, and acknowledging concerns while seeking to increase engagement.

3.5 – Manage Abusive Client Behaviour

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) address abusive behavior when it arises to establish boundaries with clients, prevent escalation, and ensure others are not adversely impacted.

3.6 – Help Clients Manage Mental Health

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.

Professional Practice

1 - Professional Responsibility

1.1 – Deliver Services Within Scope of Practice

1.2 – Maintain Professional Boundaries

1.3 – Obtain Informed Consent

1.4 – Protect Information and Records

1.5 – Represent Career Development Qualifications

2 - Ethics and Regulations

2.1 – Comply with Legislation and Regulations

2.2 – Follow Ethical Decision-Making Process

3 - Client-Practitioner Relationship

3.1 – Establish and Sustain Working Alliance

3.2 – Build Self-Agency

3.3 – Help Clients Address and Prevent Conflict

3.4 – Engage Reluctant or Resistant Clients

3.5 – Manage Abusive Client Behaviour

3.6 – Help Clients Manage Mental Health

4 - Diversity and Inclusion

4.1 – Respect Diversity and Inclusion

4.2 – Promote Diversity and Inclusion

4.3 – Advocate for Client

5 - Evidence-Based Practice

5.1 – Develop Evidence-Based Interventions

5.2 – Monitor Client Progress

5.3 – Maintain Client Records

6 - Professional Development

6.1 – Develop and Maintain Professional Relationships

6.2 – Engage in Lifelong Learning

6.3 – Collaborate with Peers

7 - Health and Wellness

7.1 – Manage Emotional Responses

7.2 – Interact with Others in Respectful and Civil Manner

7.3 – Plan and Organize Work

7.4 – Maintain Health and Wellness

8 - Communication

8.1 –Use Active Listening Skills

8.2 – Communicate Verbally

8.3 – Communicate Non-verbally

8.4 – Communicate in Writing

8.5 – Conduct Meetings

8.6 – Deliver Presentations

9 - Digital Literacy

9.1 – Use Digital Technology

9.2 – Respond to Cybersecurity Breaches

CDP Characteristic

10 - Foundational Knowledge and Applied Theories

10.1 – Understand Career Development Theories and Models

10.2 – Apply Career Development Theories and Models

11 - Service Delivery Process

11.1 – Conduct Intake Interview

11.2 – Conduct Employability Assessment

11.3 – Help Client Develop Goals and Action Plans

11.4 – Select and Monitor Interventions

11.5 – Help Client Build Support Network

11.6 – Manage Caseload

12 - Learning and Job Readiness

12.1 – Explore Learning and Employment Possibilities

12.2 – Develop Learning and Employment Possibilities

12.3 – Develop Learning and Job Readiness Skills

13 - Awareness of Diverse Worldviews

13.1 – Work with Indigenous Clients

13.2 – Work with Immigrant Clients

13.3 – Work with LGBTQ2+ Clients

13.4 – Work with Youth at Risk

13.5 – Work with Clients Affected by Work Disruption

13.6 – Work with Clients Living in Poverty

13.7 – Work with Clients Post-incarceration

13.8 – Work with Clients Living with a Disability

14 - Career Resources

14.1 – Maintain and Deliver Career Resources

14.2 – Maintain Current Knowledge of Labour Market

14.3 – Use Assessment Tools and Approaches

14.4 – Deliver Services Using Technology

15 - Client Work Search Strategies

15.1 – Work with Clients to Develop Résumés

15.2 – Work with Clients to Write Communications

15.3 – Work with Clients to Assemble Portfolios

15.4 – Work with Clients to Develop Value Proposition

15.5 – Work with Clients to Develop References

15.6 – Work with Clients to Prepare for Employment Interviews

15.7 – Work with Clients to Build a Professional Network

16 - Referrals to Professional Services

16.1 – Maintain Network of Referral Services

16.2 – Arrange Professional Referrals

CDP Extended

17 - Development and Delivery of Group Sessions

17.1 – Design Information Sessions or Workshops

17.2 – Deliver Information Sessions or Workshops

18 - Research

18.1 – Lead Research Projects

18.2 – Conduct Research

18.3 – Perform Data Analysis and Reporting

19 - Assessment and Evaluation Instruments and Procedures

19.1 – Identify Assessment and Evaluation Methods

19.2 – Follow Administration Procedures Specified by Test Publisher

19.3 – Score, Interpret and Protect Confidentiality of Test Results

19.4 – Report Assessment Results

19.5 – Use Technology in Assessment and Evaluation

20 - Career Guidance in Educational System

20.1 – Promote Benefits of Career Development in Educational Settings

20.2 – Mobilize Career Influencers

20.3 – Integrate Career Development Across Curriculum

20.4 – Facilitate Experiential Learning Opportunities

20.5 – Design and Implement Career Program(s)

21 - Career Management

21.1 – Optimize Workforce Development

21.2 – Support Employee Mobility within the Organization

Outreach and Leadership

22 - Employer Outreach and Relations

22.1 – Work with Employers to Create Job Opportunities

22.2 – Support Employers in Development of Recruitment and Selection Strategies

22.3 – Support Employers and Employees in Development of Job Maintenance Strategy

23 - Community Capacity Building

23.1 – Assess Labour Market Needs

23.2 – Develop Labour Market Action Plan

23.3 – Implement Labour Market Action Plan

23.4 – Evaluate Labour Market Action Plan

24 - Policy and Advocacy

24.1 – Contribute to the Development of Public Policy

24.2 – Develop Advocacy Strategies

24.3 – Advocate on Behalf of Profession

24.4 – Build Public Awareness of Career Development Professionals

25 - Strategic Delivery of Career Development Services

25.1 – Build Strategic Plan

25.2 – Build Strategic Partnerships

25.3 – Develop Performance Monitoring System

25.4 – Prepare Performance Reports

25.5 – Manage Risk

26 - Career Development Leadership

26.1 – Mentor Others

26.2 – Lead Change

Career Development Professional Centre

Code of Conduct

Help us cultivate a Centre we all enjoy by reviewing and following the Code of Conduct.

Our Purpose

Thank you for being a part of the Career Development Professional Centre. To ensure that all members have the best possible experience, we have a few ground rules that we ask everyone to adhere to. This code of conduct applies equally to every person in the community and is intended to foster an online space that is inclusive, safe, and welcoming to all.

Centre Rules

Be welcoming

We strive to be a place that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. We aim to be a place that promotes excellence and innovation in career and workforce development. Please extend respect to all members; we all come from different backgrounds and levels of knowledge and there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Be respectful

We won’t all agree all the time, but when we disagree don’t let those disagreements turn into personal attacks. A place where people feel uncomfortable or threatened will not be a productive one. When having discussions in the online community, commenting on a library article, or participating in other Centre activities, strive for productive conversations around the content being presented, not the person behind the content. Any comments determined to be “hate speech” towards any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the comment has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Hate Speech could include and is not limited to:

Violent threats or language directed against another person
Discriminatory jokes, language, or materials
Defamatory or abusive language or materials
Profane or illegal materials
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

A good rule of thumb is to never say anything that you wouldn’t be comfortable with the world seeing or that you wouldn’t want anyone knowing came from you. We ask that you keep in mind the focus of this place, which is building excellence and innovation in career and workforce development for all individuals.

Be considerate of the purpose of the Centre

The Centre focuses on building excellence and discussing innovation in the career and workforce development field. The goal of the social learning community is to communicate goals, challenges, constructive feedback, and questions in relation to career and workforce development. The Centre should be a place for continued learning and development as well as a place to discuss the future of our field (solicitation without written consent by the Project or Advisory team, is strictly prohibited). Any post or comment that is determined to be soliciting any individual or group will be deleted, and the user account may be locked until an investigation regarding the post has been concluded. The user may be given a written warning or removed from the CPDC platform depending on the findings of the investigation.

Post your discussions or documents in the most appropriate group or topic

Especially within the social learning community, make reasonable efforts to ensure that posts and materials are allocated to the appropriate group or topic. This will prevent cluttering the feed and make it easier for everyone to find the information that they are seeking. Individuals who do this repeatedly will be contacted by one of the group admins and asked to follow these guidelines.

Privacy and Release of Information

CDPC-CEDC will not release your information to any third-party agencies.

Thank you and welcome to the CDPC