Tea Evening with the Career Counsellor - SIVA College
The Tea Evening with the Career Counsellor” is a supportive initiative designed to empower SIVA’s vocational rehabilitation clients to take active steps toward independent living and professional development. Taking place twice a month in student dormitories or leisure-time facilities, the activity offers career counselling in an informal, welcoming, and safe environment.
The evenings are scheduled after lectures to ensure accessibility and to reduce time-related barriers. By moving career guidance away from formal office settings, the initiative creates a relaxed atmosphere where participants feel more comfortable to engage, share experiences, and explore their personal aspirations. A cup of tea, biscuits, and social interaction provide the foundation for a setting that encourages trust, openness, and active participation.
Central to the methodology is the use of table games, career guidance tools, and interactive exercises, which help participants discover and reflect on their strengths, identify inner resources, and visualise their personal and professional future. Activities such as mapping individual support circles and drawing possible career pathways allow participants to build self-awareness and confidence, while also strengthening decision-making skills.
The initiative goes beyond traditional career counselling by focusing on the holistic well-being of the person. It fosters social inclusion, strengthens peer relationships, and provides emotional support in parallel with career development. Participants learn to identify both personal competencies and external opportunities, linking them to realistic, attainable goals for education, employment, and independent living.
The counsellor takes on the role of facilitator rather than instructor, guiding conversations and reflections in a way that ensures participants remain at the centre of the process. The informal setting promotes equality between counsellor and participants, empowering each individual to voice their needs, preferences, and ambitions.
By combining professional guidance with social interaction, “Tea Evening with the Career Counsellor” offers a comprehensive approach: it supports career planning, strengthens psychosocial resources, and promotes active citizenship. Its innovative format demonstrates that vocational guidance can be both effective and enjoyable, and that independent living skills are best developed in environments that balance structure with informality, professionalism with empathy.
The practice is easily adaptable to different contexts and can be replicated in various countries and institutions. It requires minimal resources, yet has a significant impact: increased self-confidence, improved decision-making skills, and stronger motivation to pursue career and life goals. In this way, the initiative directly supports the principles of Independent Living – choice, control, participation, and inclusion – while helping young people with disabilities build bridges toward their future.
Target group
Vocational rehabilitation clients, such as working-aged (15-65 y.o.) persons with disabilities or functional disorders (including unemployed and persons with mental health issues)
Methodologies and approaches
The initiative combines professional career guidance with creative and participatory techniques to ensure accessibility and engagement for young people with disabilities. The following approaches are central to the design and implementation:
- Career guidance techniques. Structured conversations, self-reflection exercises, and pathway mapping are used to help participants identify their strengths, skills, and aspirations. The counsellor applies evidence-based counselling methods to support realistic goal setting, decision-making, and action planning.
- Learning through play. Table games and interactive group activities transform abstract career concepts into accessible and enjoyable experiences. By “playing” with scenarios and role models, participants can explore options in a relaxed way, increasing confidence and reducing the pressure often associated with career planning.
- Art therapy elements. Drawing, visual mapping, and creative expression allow participants to externalize thoughts and feelings, often providing new insights into personal resources, interests, and goals. This also makes the process inclusive for participants who may struggle with verbal expression.
- Informal group setting. Holding the activity in dormitories and leisure spaces fosters equality, trust, and peer interaction. This encourages mutual support, exchange of experiences, and stronger social integration.
Together, these methodologies create a holistic and empowering approach to career counselling. They move beyond traditional one-to-one conversations to offer a comprehensive set of activities that build self-awareness, motivation, and autonomy. The focus is not only on future employment but also on developing personal resources that are essential for independent living and active participation in society.
Innovation and creativity
“Tea Evening with the Career Counsellor” stands out as an innovative practice because it rethinks both Where and How career counselling takes place. Instead of following the conventional model of short, formal, office-based meetings, the initiative introduces a relaxed and playful environment that makes career planning more approachable and person-centred.
The idea originated from the career counsellor herself, who was willing to stay beyond the regular working hours of the state organisation to meet participants in their own living and leisure spaces. This voluntary commitment reflects a strong client-centred approach and demonstrates that meaningful support often requires flexibility and creativity beyond formal obligations.
Creativity is evident in the adaptation of traditional counselling tools into engaging formats. Career guidance activities are embedded into table games, playful exercises, and visual mapping techniques, making complex concepts easier to understand and more enjoyable to explore. The combination of tea, biscuits, and informal conversation lowers barriers, encourages equal dialogue, and reduces the anxiety that can sometimes accompany formal counselling sessions.
This approach also broadens the scope of vocational rehabilitation services by linking professional guidance with social inclusion and well-being. Participants not only receive career advice but also build peer connections, share experiences, and strengthen their support networks – outcomes that are crucial for independent living but often overlooked in standard rehabilitation frameworks.
By transforming the atmosphere and methodology, the service makes counselling more accessible, engaging, and empowering. It demonstrates that creativity in service design does not necessarily require extensive resources, but rather a willingness to adapt, innovate, and prioritise the needs of the individual.
Support to Independent Living
The initiative empowers participants to make informed choices about their education, career, and future, directly strengthening their autonomy. By focusing on personal strengths, resources, and support networks, it builds self-confidence and resilience essential for independent living. The informal group setting encourages social participation, peer support, and inclusion in community life. Creative methods such as games and art activities make career planning accessible to individuals with different abilities and communication styles. In this way, the practice promotes the Independent Living principles of choice, control, participation, and inclusion.
Staff and resources
Career support specialists (with a background in social sciences), informal spaces for the activities, and any tools and approaches used by specialists.
Identifying specific needs
The initiative was shaped by the identified needs and preferences of the vocational rehabilitation clients with disabilities and functioning disorders studying at SIVA College. Feedback from participants revealed that traditional career counselling sessions felt too formal, sometimes intimidating, and did not always fit with their schedules after lectures. They expressed the need for a more relaxed, peer-like environment where they could openly discuss their ideas, challenges, and ambitions.
The career counsellor responded by co-designing the “Tea Evening” concept together with the students. They suggested the timing (after classes, in the evenings), the setting (common rooms and leisure areas instead of offices). Through these consultations, students directly influenced both the format and content of the activity, ensuring that it was meaningful and engaging for them.
This participatory approach not only increased the relevance and effectiveness of the initiative but also modelled the Independent Living principle of active involvement in decisions affecting one’s life. By embedding co-production in the design, the initiative demonstrates respect for personal choice, accessibility, and the right to self-determination.
Other stakeholders or partners
The initiative was primarily carried out by the career counsellor. The main support came from the institutional administration, which granted permission to use the leisure spaces and endorsed the idea of organising the tea evenings.