"I don't know what I want to do."  Many of my clients have this problem. The job you have isn't satisfying, but no matter what you do, you can't see a way out of the mental box you are stuck in, which usually looks something like this: "I can't get another job that pays me this much. I don't have any transferable skills. I'll have to go back to square one if I change careers. I don't have the time or money to go back to school. People will think I'm crazy." Career counseling can help you break out of that frustrating mental box.

"I know exactly what I want to do, but I can't do it."  You do know what you really want to do, but it's a secret fantasy, and you have no idea how to bring it to fruition. Career counseling provides you with tools to assess your fantasy career, and helps you decide how, when and if you want to pursue it.

"I can't network."  Everyone tells you this is the only way to get a job, but you just can't do it. You feel awkward, or demanding, or just plain stupid. Yes, you do have to network, but it is a skill that can be learned. Our best networking is done when we can be ourselves while doing it.

"My job search is unfocussed."  If you feel like your job search lacks focus, it probably does. For clients who come in looking for help with job search techniques, this is the place we will start. Without a clear two-sentence response to the question "what are you looking for?", the entire job search process will be an exercise in frustration.

"I've been looking for months, and I haven't found anything."  You are feeling frustrated, discouraged, even panicked. This is the time to re-evaluate the overall strategy to see if anything is missing or needs adjusting. It is also helpful to simply understand that long job searches just happen sometimes, and that they are not a sign of divine disfavor or a harbinger of life as a barrista.

"I'm afraid that I'll have the same problem at my next job."  Sometimes you have a sneaking suspicion that you are doing something that is contributing to a recurring problem. You seem to have an uncanny ability to pick the boss from hell, or you always end up feeling bored after three months of intense start-up activity. If patterns in your career are emerging that you don't like, it's time to do some diagnostic work and then some skills training so that you can break the cycle BEFORE you get your next job.