7.4 – Maintain Health and Wellness

Purpose & Context

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) adopt healthy behaviours to achieve and maintain optimal physical and mental wellness.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

P1. Set health and wellness goals, e.g. smoking cessation, weight management, stress management, physical activity,eating well, pain management, social activities
P2. Recognize physical stress reactions, e.g. increased heart rate
P3. Reflect on possible causes of stress, e.g. caseload, relationships at work, work-life balance, substance dependency,family crisis
P4. Determine possible actions to manage stress, for example:
- Begin the day by setting priorities and organizing work
- Seek insight from co-workers on how best to address work challenges
- Talk to supervisor to discuss caseload, e.g. set realistic expectations and deadlines, set boundaries on workingextra hours
- Nurture caring relationships with friends and family, e.g. spend time with people outside of work
- Prioritize self, e.g. participate in enjoyable activities, engage in meditation or yoga, go for walks, volunteer
P5. Access resources to address chronic illnesses/conditions and situational crises, such as:
- Counselling, e.g. professional, addiction, family, financial
- Support and self-help groups offered by advocacy organizations, hospital or community organizations
- Health professionals, e.g. family physician, public health nurse, psychologist
- Programs, e.g. Employment Assistance Program (EAP), Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) programs

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

K1. Impact of stress on well-being
K2. Sources of support

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

In situations of prolonged periods of stress, coping strategies become increasingly important.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

Caseload: the number of active cases with which a CDP is concerned at a specific point in time.

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

None

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

Moderate risk: CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Routinely, regular course of procedure

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

A career development professional should develop and maintain healthy behaviours immediately upon entering practice, seeking support and guidance when needed.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.

Automation

It is unlikely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

None