NCDA 2015: DBT Skills in Career Counseling

OPI’s Career and Volunteer Department staff were fortunate to start the month of July in the beautiful state of Colorado attending the National Career Development Association (NCDA) annual conference. We had the opportunity to participate in outdoor adventures, explore downtown Denver, and acquire invaluable information while the conference.

Similar to last year, we were able to network with a variety of career counseling professionals and learn about new and exciting ways to improve our department. We got some great information on job search techniques, social media and its impact on college majors and careers, federal jobs, and working with special populations.

Different than last year, we had the opportunity to be more involved and were selected to present at two roundtable discussions. We shared our experiences integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills in our career counseling. It was an incredible feeling to share our work with professionals who had little to no familiarity with DBT skills and offer how we are using them in tackling certain job-related situations. We presented a few case studies that summarized the span of our work, using concrete examples that really showcased the use of the skills. Our audience was engaged and asked lots of questions about implementing the skills in specific situations. The presentation was well received, and the overall experience was great!

We are so excited to grow as a department, so keep your eyes out in the coming year for a career exploration workshop, an OPI mentorship-type program, and a new career assessment tool.