Guest lecture on the topic: “Diagnostic Approaches in Professional and Career Counseling”
On December 17, 2025, within the framework of the Week of In-Person Learning at the Faculty of Psychology, History, and Sociology, a guest lecture was delivered for students of all levels of study in the specialties 231 Social Work and I10 Social Work and Counseling by Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, and Professor of the Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work at Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, Oksana Protas. The topic of the lecture was “Diagnostic Approaches in Professional and Career Counseling.”
During the lecture, students had the opportunity to learn about career guidance as a system of measures aimed at choosing a profession; to explore professional and career counseling as components of career orientation for the population; to consider the role of diagnostics in career counseling and identifying professional inclinations; and to gain insights into the structure of a résumé and practical tips for its preparation.
The audience was particularly interested to learn that upon completion of the educational programs Social Work and Social Work and Counseling, graduates can be employed in institutions and organizations of the social sphere: social service centers; territorial centers of social services (including specialized units); institutions of socio-psychological rehabilitation; institutions and organizations in the fields of public administration, social protection, and social services; healthcare institutions; educational and cultural institutions; employment services; law enforcement agencies; the sphere of national security; as well as non-governmental public and charitable organizations.
Future social work professionals also became acquainted with the specifics and features of the position of career consultant. They learned that the profession of career consultant in Ukraine received official recognition at the state level: on October 21, 2025, the Professional Standard Career Consultant was approved and included in the Register of Professions. Until that time, career counseling had developed without a professional standard—specialists worked on the basis of training programs, projects, certifications, and organizational initiatives, without a codified status in the National Classifier of Professions.
Oksana Protas also informed students that, according to the professional standard, career consultants may be graduates of the first (bachelor’s) and second (master’s) levels of higher education in the specialties Social Work and Social Work and Counseling, since this activity involves working with diverse client groups, and the profession of career consultant will be included in the National Classifier of Professions of Ukraine.
In conclusion, the participants of the guest lecture agreed that career counseling is aimed at supporting each individual on the path to professional success!