Career assessment services to be offered for high schoolers

Students in Purdue's counseling psychology doctoral program within the Department of Educational Studies will offer a career assessment service this summer to high school-age children of Purdue faculty and staff, as well as to high schoolers in Tippecanoe County and surrounding counties.

The career assessment service will be offered from May 25 to July 31. Each career assessment will consist of three or four sessions that will take place during the course of three to five weeks.

The career assessment service is open to high schoolers of all ages, says Eric Deemer, assistant professor of counseling and development, but it is not open to current Purdue students, as they can seek career-related assistance from the Center for Career Opportunities.

Career assessments will take place at Purdue's Counseling and Guidance Center, which is in Beering Hall, Room 3202. Doctoral students will serve as clinicians under the supervision of a faculty member who is a licensed psychologist.

The career assessment process will include:

* A structured, career-related interview that will take place during the first session.

* Four career-related instruments, which will be completed in one or two sessions. The instruments will assess students’ career interests, career skills confidence, academic achievement, and personality traits. Achievement test results may be used to help students identify areas of academic strength/weakness in preparation for college, and prepare for SAT/ACT testing this fall.

* A wrap-up session in which clinicians will provide feedback and a written report to the students and their parents.

Sessions will vary in length. The first and last sessions will last about 30-45 minutes, and the career instruments session will last about 3 hours.

The parents of high schoolers can sign their children up for this service by calling the Counseling and Guidance Center at 49-49738. The student's name, age, and year in school are required, as well as their parents' names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Interested families are encouraged to call now to reserve a space, as clients will not be accepted for testing after June 30.

The assessment fee of $100, ­paid via cash or check, will be required at the first session.