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Counselling Case Study: Career Development

Jessica is a 32 year old professional executive who has recently been given the opportunity of completing her Masters in Professional Development with an organisation who value her expertise in her chosen career and have great confidence in her achievement of goals in their particular field.

She has studied hard for over a third of her life and has recently married a family-orientated professional man whom she loves. She now faces the dilemma of whether to pursue her personal goal of completing the thesis she has started or to fall pregnant and hope that being a full time mother will satisfy her individual needs.

Working with Jessica, the Counsellor uses an eclectic approach, opening the session with Person Centred Therapy. Adopting strategies from Solution Focused Therapy, and using Gestalt tools within the client’s frame of reference, she then encourages her to consider her family history and her parents’ impact on her life as it is in the here and now.

Jessica’s mother and aunties have been pestering her to “do the right thing” like her friends from school who by now all have at least one child. Remarks such as “When are you going to fall pregnant?” and “Don’t you think it’s about time you did the right thing?” or “Surely you want to be a mother?” keep ringing in her ears.

Her biological clock has not started ticking for her but she is aware that “time is running away rather than running out”. Her work associates admire and respect her and support her in her studies, believing that her achievements will assist them to gain funding in her particular area.

Jessica’s father, who died just as she was about to start university, had always encouraged her to be more than just a stay at home mother. He would tell her that she could achieve whatever she set out to do. Jessica was extremely close to her Dad and was devastated when he died, feeling that she hadn’t shown him how successful she was.

Even though her mother actively promoted her studies, she would love and accept her no matter what she did and Jess knew this; she had a nagging feeling that she wanted to be successful for her Dad and to prove that women can achieve whatever they hope for.

Issues identified:

Jessica’s symptoms are medium to high levels of stress evidenced by episodes of stomach cramps and breathing difficulties that turn into asthma attacks.

Some workers experience stress “to a slight degree; others may be incapacitated”. ~ Miller et al., 1988 cited Peterson & Gonzalez 2000.

She has a referral from her doctor who suggested that counselling, rather than any medication, may help and, as Jessica is contemplating starting a family, she wants to follow in the footsteps of her mother who avoided drugs particularly when pregnant.

In addition to working for her Masters and trying to fall pregnant, Jessica wants to be a good wife and mother; she is also involved with environmental interests and “Save the Whale” expeditions. With the addition of attending her gourmet cooking classes and doing yoga classes and swimming for relaxation, time management is a huge issue. She wants to do it all.

“Stress can be both good and bad – depending on its nature, duration, and resources available to respond to it. A stress experience occurs when a person is confronted by a demand that is perceived to exceed the emotional or physical resources available to effectively respond to it.” ~ Zacarro & Riley, 1987 cited Peterson & Gonzalez, 2000.

Formulation

Person Centred Therapy is excellent in helping Jessica begin to express her feelings in a comfortable and safe environment. With no formal assessment being conducted, the counselling was primarily aimed at helping her identify and access her inner resources so that she could better deal with her issues of time management, her future and her decisions about child rearing if that’s what she decides she wants to do.

“Some of the earliest psychotherapy research projects showed that when clients were rated as successful in therapy, their attitudes toward self became significantly more positive.”~ Sheerer, 1949 as cited in Corsini & Wedding, 1995.

A Solution Focused approach to the session was introduced when Jessica stated that she was suffering asthma attacks caused by stress.

Session Details

In the first session after Jessica had outlined her story, the Counsellor (C) noticed she became quite agitated and teary when talking about her father.

C: On a scale of 1-10 Jess with 1 being quite calm and 10 being extremely upset where would you rate yourself at this particular time (De Jong & Berg 1998).

Jessica stated she would be at a 9 right now because she is talking about her Dad and feels a total failure because she’s considering giving up the opportunity of completing her Masters in order to have a child.

“More women are winning middle management positions, and organisational counsellors often report a kind of female macho-ness or the superwoman syndrome, where women feel that they have to be the perfect wife, mother and career woman; as a consequence they put themselves under enormous pressure.” ~ Summerfield & Oudtshoorn 1995.

C decided to explore the unexpressed anxious side of Jessica’s personality first using the Gestalt technique known as “Empty Chair” (Perls cited Patterson 1986).

C placed a chair opposite Jessica and asked her if she would like to imagine her father sitting there waiting to hear what she would say to him.

Jessica burst into tears. There was a huge amount of unresolved grief attached to her just thinking about her father at this time. C waited patiently for Jessica to calm down and then quietly asked if she would like to continue.

For ease of reference Jessica has been abbreviated to J in the following dialogues:

J: I didn’t realise how much I was carrying inside of me. I’ve been involving myself in all of these “things” because when I think of Dad it’s too painful, so I make myself busy and pile extra “stuff” into my life so I don’t focus on the sadness.

C: What would you like to say to your Dad if he was here?

J: I’d say I was sorry for not meeting his expectations.

C: His expectations, Jess?

J: Well he did keep saying how proud he was of me because I was good at school and he knew I would make something of myself.

C: Go over there and sit in that chair, Jess, and pretend you are your Dad for a few minutes. Try imagining what he would say to you now.

Jess wipes her face and blows her nose, striding over to the chair, so much in the role she even sits differently, like I supposed her father used to sit. She sits and stares back at the empty chair she just left, imagining herself to be her father and looking intently at the chair getting her head around what to say and finally:

J: God, Jess, I didn’t mean you had to become educated to the point of forgetting what really matters in life. I just wanted you to achieve the best for you. I wanted you to succeed at being and doing whatever you wanted in life because you had all the opportunities.

C: What would you say back to Dad, Jess?

J: I don’t know whether to have a baby or go on with my Masters, Dad. My time is running out, my biological clock is ticking. Everybody’s at me.

C: What about Dad, Jess? What do you think he would say back to you now?

J: Jessica, you can have it all. Study for your Masters degree and have a baby -nothing would make me more proud than to be a Grandfather. You are still young. You have the time.

At this point Jessica burst into tears again.

J: “Oh my God, this is so intense but the relief I feel is huge. I know that I do have time. I’m normally good at time management, I do it all the time, but it was this personal dilemma that was pushing me to achieve the career success that my associates have been urging me to.”

C: What else is on your mind Jess?

J: I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment with these new emotions that I’ve been suppressing for years. I feel I’ve been like a robot doing and doing and doing and not being.

C: Yes, we do forget to just “be” sometimes. What would it feel like for you if you were just being?

Jessica takes a huge deep breath, sits back in her chair (prior to this she was very rigid) and noticeably relaxes, her shoulders drop and she closes her eyes and smiles.

To calm Jessica at this stage C introduces a breathing technique to steady her system by using her own physiological way of breathing, reminding Jess that she can utilise this technique whenever she feels herself getting uptight (Booth 1985).

J: Good grief I’ve been learning this in yoga for years and I go through the process while I’m there but I don’t practice it when I should.

C: You know Jess I think we’re all guilty of that at times. We’re all so caught up in the business of living life to the max, we often forget about what is important for our own well-being.

There’s a quote from a Handbook of Counselling which states:

“It is not possible for an individual to remain unaffected at work by problems based in the home or vice versa. This invasion will and does occur, no matter how great the effort by the individual to prevent it taking place or being detected.” ~ Palmer 1997

Session summary for future sessions and homework:

• Acceptance of herself as she is, with or without children.
• Time to herself, just being in a place of peace once a week for 2-3 hours.
• Establish a Personality Need Type Profile to help Jessica understand why she needs to establish herself as a career oriented superwoman.
• Learning better communication strategies with her partner.
• More ‘talking’ with her father to enable her to accept her grief and the loss of time she could have had with him, in a safe place such as the counselling room.
• Understanding the ‘now’ as part of the whole picture in a lifetime of events.
• Accept the fact that there may not be enough time to do everything she wants to do and work out priorities and a timeframe.

Instead of trying to do everything perfectly, Jessica needs to accept that this is not possible in reality. That’s why it’s essential to work out what the most important things are for her personally. If she focuses on the most important things to her, both in her professional and personal life, Jessica is likely to make a greater contribution, by using her time in a way which provides personal satisfaction and fulfilment.

Author: Kathleen Casagrande

Reference List

• Booth Dr. A., 1985, Stressmanship, Severn House Publishers Ltd. London.
• Corsini R. & Wedding D., 1995, Current Psychotherapies, 5th Edition, F.E. Peacock Publishing, USA.
• De Jong Peter & Berg Insoo Kim, 1998, Interviewing for Solutions, Brooks/Cole Publishing Company USA.
• Palmer S., 1997, Handbook of Counselling, Second Edition, British Association for Counselling, Routledge, UK.
• Patterson, C.H., 1986. Theories of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Harper and Row Publishers, New York.
• Peterson N. & Gonzalez R. 2000, The Role of Work in People’s Lives, Brooks/Cole Publishing co., U.S.A.
• Summerfield J. & van Oudtshoorn L. 1995, Counselling in the Workplace, Institute of Personnel and Development, UK.

Related Case Studies: A Case Outlining How to Focus on Solutions , A Case of Using Logical Consequences , A Case of Stressful Life Change

• January 31, 2007
• No Comments
• Career Issues , Case Study , Empty Chair Technique
• Career Development , Case Studies , Relationship & Families

Veronica Vargas: Career Counseling

Introduction.

Career counseling, as a broad sphere of theoretical and practical frameworks aimed at helping clients make the right professional choices at different stages of their life span, deals with a variety of specific cases. In order to develop an effective intervention plan and solve the client’s problem, a counselor needs to assess a client, his or her worldview, family background, and personal preferences and abilities through qualified communication and appropriate application of theories. In this paper, a case study of Veronica Vargas will be analyzed with the help of such elements as genogram construction, worldview interpretation, theory application, client conceptualization, intervention discussion, and description of cultural issues.

Client’s Genogram

As illustrated in Figure 1, Veronica’s genogram includes her father and mother’s branches, leading to their three children, including Veronica, Annie, and Lewis.

As the genogram shows, the main influences on Veronica’s career choice in the Vargas family have her parents, George and Sarah. As it follows from the interview with the client, her relationship with the mother is more trusting than the one with her father. It indicates that Veronica is more likely to follow the lead Sarah and engage in a serious healthcare-related professional field. However, George’s strict attitude toward life choices determined by his first profession as a military man in combination with the cultural particularities of Latino family imposes psychological constraints on his daughter’s career choice. Also, since Veronica is the oldest daughter in the family, she bears the burden of responsibility due to her dominating position among the Vargas’ children.

Client’s Worldview Description

As it follows from the case study description, Veronica perceives herself as an achiever whose successful and hard-working educational experience contributes to future professional advancement. Since her high school years, the client has volunteered to help in a pediatric department of a local hospital and developed a fondness for this kind of occupation. From the perspective of the developmental career theory, Veronica is at the exploratory stage of career search, where she narrows the choices of her future occupation but does not make a final decision (Zunker, 2016). Overall, the choice of career is crucial for the client and determines her relationships with others.

According to the trait and factor theory, the educational achievements in the field of nursing and the overall inclination of the client to work with people allow for identifying her strengths and weaknesses (Zunker, 2016). The diverse cultural background of her parents, where the father’s family is originally from Guatemala, and the mother comes from a Jewish family, determines the framework of Veronica’s attitudes to career options.

The collision of values and role expectations between the two cultures causes the conflict in Veronica’s choice between the desired profession and the required one. George’s vision of the particular role of the oldest daughter in the family and the encouragement for Veronica to spend more time with friends and boyfriends instead of working and studying signalize that the father expects his daughter to perform a family role rather than professional.

At the same time, the family is important to the client due to the cultural values of family relations in the Latino communities. Veronica is intimidated by the need to visit a counselor because the challenges in career choice do not seem to be important enough to seek assistance outside the family. However, her self-esteem is high enough to pursue her dream occupation. The difficulty of the overall situation lies in the collision of family values and the consideration of the future professional role.

Necessary Additional Information

In the course of initial interviewing, some more information concerning educational achievements would be required to analyze the level of skills development. A more descriptive interpretation of the situation with career choice presented by the client in private communication will help in a more accurate assessment of her worldview. The counselor would require the client’s description of her perception of the medical field as the profession.

Also, it would be important to clarify Veronica’s vision of influential factors determining the shift in her major. When conceptualizing the case, one should refer to the specific learning experiences acquired in the professional setting. Since the client has a history of volunteering in a pediatric department, her feedback about the merits and demerits of the identified setting will be useful for further work. It will help to perceive a more detailed vision of the problem under discussion and will facilitate the development of the intervention plan for the client. A sufficient amount of collected information will benefit the process of counseling and contribute to the integration of appropriate interventions.

Krumboltz’s Learning Theory

Basic constructs and concepts.

The social learning theory, which is referred to as the learning theory of career counseling (LTCC), deals with an understanding of the diverse types of influences through social interactions as the main triggers of career choice. This theory was initially proposed and developed by Krumboltz, Mitchell, and Gelatt in the mid-1970s and later expanded by Krumboltz and Mitchel (Zunker, 2016). According to this approach, the process of decision-making related to a career vastly depends on the combination of life events and conditions surrounding a person. Thus, the family and genetic inclinations, environmental factors, educational achievements, and skills development all constitute a foundation for the ultimate choice of occupation.

The authors of the theoretical approach justify four basic factors influencing career development. The first one addresses genetic endowments and deals with the inherited individual characteristics or professional inclinations running in the family. The second factor involves environmental conditions and events, such as natural resources, disasters, or living conditions that are beyond the client’s influence but have a significant impact on the choice of a profession (Zunker, 2016).

Learning experiences comprise the third factor of influence and include instrumental and “associative learning experiences” (Zunker, 2016, p. 34). On the one hand, instrumental learning implies making conclusions about particular actions and their consequences by means of social interaction or personal experience. On the other hand, associative learning experiences are created upon “negative and positive reactions to pairs of previously neutral situations” (Zunker, 2016, p. 34).

Finally, task approach skills constitute the fourth influential factor and embody several skills, including problem-solving, decision-making, cognitive and emotional responses, which help identify the potential to pursuing a particular career path (Zunker, 2016). The theory aims at simplifying the process of career counseling and underlines the individual particularities of each client, depending on which the influential factor will vary.

Concepts not Applicable to the Client

Considering the individual character of the influences a particular person might experience, not all of the above-mentioned concepts might be applicable to the case of Veronica Vargas. Indeed, including the description of the situation in the case study, there are no specific conditions in the environment in which the client lives that might affect her desire to shift from nursing to medicine. Therefore, the factor of environmental conditions is not relevant to the case due to the absence of the extraordinary environmental influences that impose career-related behaviors.

Case Conceptualization

The choice of the theory is determined by the complexity of the influences it embodies that are relevant to the case. The career-related concerns of the client are based on her genetic and cultural background, as well as her learning experiences and skills. According to Zunker (2016), Krumboltz’s learning theory is designed as a theoretical framework for developing career decision-making skills that will be useful for a client not only during the counseling sessions but also throughout his or her life span. Moreover, the application of LTCC will ensure thorough addressing of all the influential elements and help resolve the issue of the change of professional education from nursing to pediatric oncology. The theory is not limited to a single perspective and allows for a broader interpretation of the problem under the influence of various factors observed in the case.

According to the chosen social learning model, Veronica’s genetic endowment entails her willingness to help others like her mother, who works as a social worker. Inherited intellectual abilities and altruistic devotion to important jobs contribute to the client’s desire to pursue the medical field that would imply more important responsibilities and more special professional skills than nursing. Overall, the genetic factor plays a significant role in influencing Veronica’s career-related decision-making process. Associative and instrumental learning experiences are derived from the immediate social environment, including the family, of the client, and are considered the most influential factor in Veronica’s case.

Firstly, instrumental learning experiences are formed under the influence of observed attitudes on the importance of pediatric oncology as a profession. This factor is impacted by Veronica’s self-observation generalization because she has had a successful experience of working in the pediatric department and has acknowledged her satisfaction with such kind of occupation. Also, since Veronica’s boyfriend studies at the medical educational facility, the desire to shift might be dictated by the motivation to fit the social environment.

However, the reactions of Veronica’s father to the daughter’s engagement in medicine both during her high school years and the first year in college impose negative reactions to the profession as inappropriate. The same collision of reactions is observed when analyzing the associative learning experiences retrieved when comparing nursing and medicine. On the one hand, the socially imposed idea that being a doctor is more reputable than being a nurse serves as a motivation to shift to medicine.

However, George’s claims concerning the cost of additional schooling and the inappropriateness of the medical profession for his oldest daughter create a negative reaction to pediatrics as an occupation for Veronica. Finally, the task approach skills that the client has developed during her volunteering and studying at college might impact her decision to engage in the pediatric field.

Counseling Interventions

In order to identify the influence of the analyzed factors on the client, the counselor might apply several assessing and therapeutic interventions to help Veronica differentiate between the important and non-important contributors to her decision-making and ultimately resolve the issue. It is noteworthy that the overall communication with the client would be maintained according to the framework of motivational interviewing, which has shown significant positive results in resolving the client’s career-related issues (Klonek, Wunderlich, Spurk, & Kauffeld, 2016).

The first intervention that would be applicable to the case is Myers Briggs Type Indicator that might help Veronica verify her personality fit in the pediatric department (Yang, Richard, & Durkin, 2016). The instrument entitled My Vocational Situation (VMS) might be used as a means of identification of the causes of a problem. One of the three elements of VMS, called Emotional and Personal Barriers, will benefit the resolution of issues with the influence of the father’s disapproval and determine other potential difficulties in decision-making (Zunker, 2016).

Also, the California Test of Personality might be used to identify the character of relationships in the family and their influence on career choice (Zunker, 2016). As Fouad, Kim, Ghosh, Chang, and Figueiredo (2016) claim, the role of the family is crucial in career choice, especially for students who primarily depend on their parents’ support. Similarly, Whiston and Cinamon (2015) emphasize that the work-family interface might be a cause of distress and must be accurately considered by career counselors.

Finally, the Work Values Inventory would be used to measure “altruism, aesthetics, creativity, intellectual stimulation, independence, prestige, management, economic returns” and other elements of professional life (Zunker, 2016, p. 178). The combination of the chosen interventions is expected to provide positive results in the counseling process.

Influential Factors in Work with the Client

The specific features of work with Veronica might be influenced by her age, gender, and mixed cultural background of her family. Since the client is a first-year college student, her age particularities should be considered in the construction of communication and interventions. The client should be treated as a responsible adult but with the application of encouraging techniques. Since the client is a female, it is important to direct the counseling measures at the identification of the client’s perception of women’s roles in the family and society to maintain consistent therapeutic procedures. Also, the Vargas family is of a mixed cultural origin, where the mother is Jewish, and the father is Latino. Therefore, it is necessary to study the particularities of career perception by these two cultural groups so that the interventions fit Veronica’s worldview.

Counselor’s Cultural Values and Biases Affecting the Client

It is commonly accepted in the counseling field that the work of a professional with a multicultural population should be carried out within cultural sensitivity competency (Dillon et al., 2016). Failure to meet the expectations of multicultural counseling competence might lead to therapy failure. Thus, the biases in work with Veronica might occur on the basis of interpersonal communication due to the differences in nationality since Veronica comes from a Latino family. To avoid that, a counselor needs to investigate the particularities of the Latino culture. Also, since the client had been very reluctant to start counseling sessions and did not perceive such meetings as dignifying activity, it might be difficult to encourage Veronica to engage in the interventions.

To sum up, the case of Veronica Vargas is complicated due to the presence of multiple influential factors determining her career-related concerns when deciding to shift from nursing to pediatric oncology. The counseling interventions should be applied according to Krumboltz’s Learning Theory, which best fits the situation where the client is engaged in an educational setting and is challenged by the family members’ opinions. To succeed in therapeutic procedures, a counselor should preserve multicultural competency and consider all influential factors to minimize biases and contribute to the problem resolution.

Dillon, F. R., Odera, L., Fons-Scheyd, A., Sheu, H. B., Ebersole, R. C., & Spanierman, L. B. (2016). A dyadic study of multicultural counseling competence. Journal of Counseling Psychology,63 (1), 57-66.

Fouad, N. A., Kim, S., Ghosh, A., Chang, W., & Figueiredo, C. (2016). Family influence on career decision making: Validation in India and the United States. Journal of Career Assessment, 24 (1), 197-212.

Klonek, F. E., Wunderlich, E., Spurk, D., & Kauffeld, S. (2016). Career counseling meets motivational interviewing: A sequential analysis of dynamic counselor-client interactions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 94, 28-38.

Whiston, S. C., & Cinamon, R. G. (2015). The work-family interface: Integrating research and career counseling practice. The Career Development Quarterly, 63, 44-56.

Yang, C., Richard, G., & Durkin, M. (2016). The association between Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and psychiatry as the specialty choice. International Journal of Medical Education, 7, 48–51.

Zunker, V. G. (2016). Career counseling: A holistic approach (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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Career counselling development: A case study of an innovative career counselling tool

• October 2016
• Industry and Higher Education 30(5):327-333
• 30(5):327-333

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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Case Study: Career Transitioner - Andrew

Client background.

Andrew is a gregarious American Asian man, approximately 30 years, old who was laid off by a large Silicon Valley law firm. He has a B.A. in History from Yale and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. Completed three Summer Associate positions while in law school. Has five years of Legal Experience in two firms. Completed a Certified Financial Planning course.

Presenting Problem/Need

Andrew had been passed over for the partnership track and was offered outplacement services to assist him with his search. As his wife had just been accepted into the University of Chicago’s MBA program he felt it offered an ideal time for him to re-evaluate his career direction and figure out “what else he could do”.

Degree of Self-Awareness gained from Behavioral/Verbal Data

Andrew readily acknowledged the few positive and many negative aspects of his legal career. After college he had considered pursuing an advertising career but because of a poor market he thought law school would offer a worthwhile career path that provided a high income and job security.

Underlying Issues, Development Factors and Causes to Explore

Andrew had fallen into his legal career. He had not completed any assessments, career counseling or conducted any research on legal career options before pursuing the law degree. The thought of “advertising” and his love of “writing and creativity” still lingered in his mind. The main obstacles to making a change included fear about making a sufficient income to buy a house and that he would need to support his wife while she completed her MBA.

Andrew's Career Profile: Career Driver Skills with Examples

Skills from Skill Summary

Skills: Skills: Brainstorm, Demonstrate Foresight, Use Intuition. Created theme for successful college fundraiser. Wrote music for his wedding.

Skills: Solve Problems, Analyze, Evaluate. Researched companies for possible investments. Helped friends pick out mutual funds and stocks.

Management/Leadership

Skills: Make Decisions, Coordinate, Organize/Plan. Enjoyed helping Start-Up companies execute their business plans.

Communication

Skills: Listen, Explain, Write, Consult. Wrote 67 restaurant reviews for Unofficial Guide to NY City after college. Enjoyed giving stock and business advice.

Values with Examples

Service to others.

Enjoys providing a service that people really need.

Examples: helping friends with their investing, volunteer adult literacy work, developing a Stock Repurchase Plan for a client

Being able to come up with innovative ideas and solutions.

Examples: wrote two humorous short stories in high school, developed and organized a successful fundraiser for a college club event, wrote song for his wedding.

Holland Themes and Specific Interests

• Investigate

Specific Interests

• Researching companies of interest
• Food/Dining Out
• Giving advice
• Creating Things

Myers-Briggs Type

Strategies/sessions.

Andrew completed SkillScan’s Career Driver, the Strong Interest Inventory, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® and a Values checklist/written list of his most enjoyable activities that supported his skills. The counselor prepared a document of the results, discussed his patterns across the results and brainstormed options.

Career Counseling Outcome

Andrew indicated a very clear preference for using his mind creatively to come up with ideas and to solve problems. He liked advising and helping others by providing a useful service. By combining his interests with his skills and values themes, we generated a variety of ideas. One idea was to continue with his legal career but in an in-house counsel position where he would serve in more of an advisory capacity. The other ideas included exploring options outside of law such as screenwriter, financial planning (eventually his own practice), marketing and publishing.

Goal Accomplishment

Prior to moving to Chicago, Andrew began conducting informational interviews with Financial Planning departments at Investment Management firms. He was very surprised to receive an offer during one of these meetings. The arrangement required him to complete the Certified Financial Planning certificate over a period of two years but he could start in an entry-level position. He also began researching extension courses on screenwriting. Given his need to make a substantial income to support himself and his wife in Chicago he decided he would continue in his legal career for two years but use that time to fully explore the options that were generated through the assessment and counseling process.

Counselor - Key Learnings

Andrew achieved a much clearer picture of the elements that would make him happier and more successful in work. His combination of skills and interests pointed to careers outside of a traditional legal practice such as financial planning where he could create the business to align with his values and preferences and draw on his creative, communication and organization skills to provide a valuable service to clients. Given Andrew’s age, need for security and a high income along with plans for having children, he was compelled to evaluate the many trade-offs that each choice would entail.

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Our original plan for this cruise was to use the "Moscow option" and spend our second day not in St. Petersburg, but in Moscow. However, the second day is a Thursday - when the Kremlin is closed. The second day is the only day that the long trip to Moscow is possible. But there is no point in going all the way to Moscow without seeing the Kremlin! Major disappointment!

Plan B - Instead of Moscow, our guide suggested that we might want to go to Veliky Novgorod on our second day,Thursday. I haven't found too much about it other than that it's one of the oldest cities in Russia and it has lots of churches. One church is okay, but we're not really interested in visiting lots of them, and if we make the long trek to Novgorod, it has to be for much more than a church. What else is there to see and do in Novgorod? Is it worth the 2.5 - 3 hour drive each way in the car between St. Petersburg and Novgorod? Or are we better off staying in St. Petersburg and seeing again what we did last time? I loved St. Petersburg, so revisiting sights wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. However, if there is somewhere outside of St. Petersburg that is incredible, fabulous, amazing - then, I'd like to go there, too. Does Novgorod fit that description? Alternatively, if it doesn't, can you suggest a place outside of St. Petersburg that does? Preferably a place that is closer to St. Petersburg? Or even a place within St. Petersburg that is off-the-beaten-path that we might not have seen last time we were there?

Thanks for your help!

3 replies to this topic

Who is your guide? We'd like to hire her, too :)

It is a pretty long way and bumpy road to Novgorod The Great if nothing hasnt changed recently, which Im sure hasnt. And yes you are right -it is all about churches and religious heritage, its an ancient Russian city - there are houndreds of churches and monasteries. One of the attraction of Novgorod which is different is The open-air architectural-ethnographic museum "Vitoslavlitsy", which provides a whole complex of genuine folk wooden architecture, including ancient churches of the 16th — 18th centuries, peasant houses of the 19th — early 20th centuries, exhibitions of folk art and everyday life items of Novgorod peasants of the same period. But again if you are not much into OMG another church.

Yes, Novgorod is famous first of all thanks churches, cathedrals and monasteries, but these churches are different from St. Petersburg churches. First of all they are much older. Novgorod was a very important center in the past, for several years it was even our official capital but now it’s a real province with very slow and calm provincial life. Some information about Novgorod and tourists cites their you can find here http://www.bestguides-spb.com/tour-novgorod.html I love Novgorod and tour to Novgorod could be very interesting. Please notice that guides from St. Petersburg are not allowed to provide tours of Novgorod churches/museums. If you are only two it could work but with a bigger group I’m afraid it could be problems.

Despite my very special feelings about Novgorod (I really love it!) I would suggest you to visit Moscow even on Thursday. Moscow has so much beside of Kremlin which you will see from outside: the Red Square, St Basil Cathedra, the unique metro!, Arbat street, Tretyakov gallery, Novodevichy monastery and so on…

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Veliky Novgorod Hotels and Places to Stay

• GreenLeaders

Take a walk through the most ancient Kremlin in Russia

The Novgorod Kremlin, which is also called ‘Detinets’, is located on the left bank of the Volkhov River. The first fortified settlement was set here during the reign of prince Vladimir Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. During these times, all the state, public and religious life of Novgorod was concentrated here. It was the place where people kept chronicles and copied the texts of books. The Novgorod Kremlin, the most ancient one in Russia, was founded here in the 15th century.

St. Sophia Cathedral (11th century), The Millennium Of Russia Monument, Episcopal Chamber (15th century) and the main exhibition of The State Novgorod Museum-reservation located in a public office building of the 18th century are all situated in the Novgorod Kremlin. The exhibition will tell you about the whole Novgorod history from ancient times to the present day. There are also restoration workshops, a children’s center, a library and a philharmonic inside the Kremlin walls.

Send a letter with the State Novgorod Museum-reservation stamp

While visiting the main building of the Novgorod Kremlin museum, you’ll see a small bureau near the souvenir area. Two more bureaus like that can be found in the Fine Arts Museum and the Museum information centre. This is the Museum Post, the joint project of the State Novgorod Museum-reservation and Russian Post.

The tradition to exchange letters (at that time written on birch bark sheets) dates back to the 11th century so it’s hardly surprising that such a project appeared here. The bureaus are desks and mailboxes at the same time, so you can send your friends a postcard with a view of Novgorod right from the museum.

Find the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin among the figures of The Millennium Of Russia Monument

In 1862, 1000 years after the Varangians were called to Russia, a monument dedicated to this event was launched in Novgorod. To tell the story of Russia’s one thousand years, the sculptor used 129 bronze figures: from state and military leaders to artists and poets.

One of figures portrays Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin, a politician and reformer who was responsible for Russia’s diplomatic relations in the middle of the 17th century. He is believed to be the father of international and regular mail in Russia. He was also the person who came up with the idea of the first Russian Post official emblem — a post horn and a double-headed eagle.

Cross the Msta River over the first arch bridge in Russia

The steel bridge in Borovichi town that connects two banks of the Msta river was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The project of the bridge was created by Nikolay Belelyubsky, engineer and professor of St. Petersburg State Transport University. This is the first arch bridge in Russia.

In 1995, it was included in the national cultural heritage register. More than 100 bridges across Russia were developed by Belelyubsky, but only this one is named after him.

Cast a virtual bell

When in the Novgorod region, you’ll definitely hear bells ring and learn about the Novgorod Veche Bell. During the siege of the city, tsar Ivan III ordered to remove this bell from the bell tower and send it to Moscow. Legend says that the bell didn’t accept his fate, fell to the ground near the border of the Novgorod region and broke to pieces against the stones.

In the biggest Museum Bell Centre in Russia located in the Valday town, you can see bells from across the world and learn why Novgorod bells are unique. The museum’s collection represents bells from different countries and ages, some of them dating back to the 3rd century BC. You’ll learn about the history of casting and modern bell-making technologies and also play games on a touch table. For example, harness virtual ‘troika’ (three) horses with bells or cast a virtual bell.

Spot the pigeon on the cross of St. Sophia Cathedral

St. Sophia Cathedral was built in Novrogod between 1045 and 1050 by Kievan and Byzantine masters. It was conceived as the main cathedral of the city, and during its first years it was the only stone building in Novgorod. So where does the pigeon on the cross of the cathedral’s biggest dome come from?

Legend says that while tsar Ivan the Terrible and his Oprichniki were cruelly killing peaceful city folk in 1570, a pigeon suddenly sat down to the cross of the city’s main cathedral. It looked down, saw the massacre, and was literally petrified with horror. Since then the pigeon has been considered the defender of the city. People believe that as soon as the pigeon flies away from the cross, Novgorod will come to an end.

Visit a monastery, that was founded by Patriarch Nikon

The Valday Iver Monastery is situated on the island in the middle of the Valday lake. It is considered to be one of the most important and picturesque orthodox shrines.

The monastery was founded in 1653 by the initiative of Nikon who had just been elected Patriarch. Nikon wanted the monastery to look like the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos, including the architectural style and monk’s clothes. Legend says that Nikon saw the spot for the monastery in a dream.

Check out Fyodor Dostoevsky’s country house

Fyodor Dostoevsky, a famous Russian writer, first visited Staraya Russa town in 1872 during a summer trip with his family. They liked it so much that the next year they rented a house near the Pererytitsa River’s embankment and spent every summer here ever since.

Dostoevsky loved this house, called it ‘his nest’ and considered it the perfect place to work and to be alone. In Staraya Russa he wrote his novels ‘The Adolescent’, ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ and ‘Demons’. Today, this place is a museum where you can explore what Dostoevsky’s house looked like and see his family’s personal belongings, photos and letters.

Visit an authentic Russian ‘izba’ (wooden house)

If you want to really enjoy the atmosphere of the old Novgorod, you should come to the Vitoslavlitsy Museum of folk wooden architecture that is located on the Myachino lake not far away from Veliky Novgorod. In this open-air museum you’ll see the best examples of Russian wooden architecture, including authentic old ‘izbas’ (wooden houses), rural chapels and churches.

During the year, the museum hosts fairs of crafts and folklore, christmastides, and even an international bell ringing festival.

Learn what Brick Gothic looks like

The Episcopal Chamber of the Novgorod Kremlin is the only non-religious German Gothic building of the 15th century preserved in Russia. You can have a good look at the facets of the gothic cross-domed vaults inside the chamber. This is why this building is also called ‘Faceted Chamber’ or ‘Chamber of Facets’.

The chamber was part of Vladychny Dvor, the place where all important city events took place: court hearings, gatherings of the Council of Lords of the Novgorod Republic, ambassador’s receptions and feasts. The seals of the city’s lords were kept here. The decree of tsar Ivan III on merging the Novgorod Republic with the Moscow State was first announced in 1478 in Episcopal Chamber. This is when the name of the new state, Russia, was first pronounced.

See the murals by Theophanes the Greek

The Byzantine Empire had a huge impact on the development of the Russian culture. Many works of art and architecture in ancient Russia were created by Byzantine artists and masters. Theophanes the Greek was one of them. He was born in Byzantine and created icons and murals in Constantinople and Caffa (modern Feodosia). After that he moved to Novgorod where he was commissioned to paint the walls of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street. You can enjoy his unique and expressive style if you look at the murals inside the dome of the church and the Trinity side chapel.

The most recognizable and the only monumental work of Theophanes the Greek that is preserved today is the chest-high portrait of the Savior the Almighty in the dome of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

Take a photo with an ancient Novgorod citizen who is learning how to read and write

In 1951, a letter written on birch bark dating back to the 14–15th centuries was found in Veliky Novgorod. Many decades later, in 2019, a sculpture designed by Novgorod artist and sculptor Sergey Gaev appeared on this exact site.

The sculpture portrays an 8–year old boy sitting on a stool and holding a piece of birch bark. At this age children in Novgorod started to learn how to read and write. During archaeological excavations in Novgorod, scientists often found ancient handwriting practice books and children’s drawings on birch bark sheets.

Feel like an ancient viking or prince Rurik’s guest

Novgorod is one of the waypoints of the famous trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The route passed through the Volkhov river. In the 9–10th centuries there was a fortified settlement of the Viking Age here.

Some scientists believe that Novgorod is named after this area which was called ‘Stary Gorod’ (‘Old City’) at that time. Some historians and archeologists consider this place to be the residence of Prince Rurik who was asked to rule the city in 862. That’s why this ancient settlement is called ‘Rurikovo Gorodische’ (‘Ruruk’s Old City’).

Learn more about the Soviet modernist architecture

On the bank of the Volkhov river near the Novgorod Kremlin, there is an incredible building that looks like a spaceship and contrasts strongly with the ancient buildings of the city.

This is the Fyodor Dostoevsky Theater of Dramatic Art that was built in 1987. It is one of the most striking examples of the Soviet modernist architecture. The theater was built for 10 years according to the project of architect Vladimir Somov.

See what an everyday life of Old Believers looks like

The Krestsy town in the Novgorod region has always been considered to be the center of the Novgorod Old Belief community, and it still is. Before the Soviet revolution there were three Old Believers churches here.

The Lyakova village, which is located not far from the town, used to be inhabited completely by Old Believers. You can learn more about their lifestyle in the local interactive museum. You’ll be introduced to Old Believers’ traditional crafts and ceremonies, drink tea with healing herbs and learn how to chop wood and use an old spinning wheel.

Buy a traditional embroidered tablecloth

A unique embroidery style that is now famous all over the world was born in the Staroye Rakhino village in the Novgorod province. By the middle of the 19th century, it had become a folk craft. Since then, linen tablecloths, towels and clothing items decorated with unusual ornaments have been popular not only among the locals, but also travellers.

In 1929, the first cooperative partnership of embroidery masters was created in Kresttsy. Later it turned into a factory that still operates today. The factory has a museum where embroidery traditions are preserved and new ornaments and technologies are created.

Find yourself in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, Staraya Russa town could be called ‘the salt cellar of Russia’. That’s because salt making was the main trade here up to the 19th century. A few years ago, the old craft was brought back to life, and construction of salt works began. Later, an interactive museum was launched based on the results of archaeological findings.

This museum recreates a typical medieval manor of Staraya Russa of the 12th century with living rooms, a bathhouse, workshops, a livestock pen and traditional peasant household items. In this museum, you can also buy salt which is made in the same way as 1000 years ago.

See the place where Suvorov started his Italian campaign

Alexander Suvorov’s manor in the Konchanskoe village, which has now become the museum of the great commander, was originally the place of his exile. Suvovor openly disagreed with the reform of Russian’s army based on the Prussian model, and Emperor Paul the First didn’t appreciate such behaviour. He first fired Suvorov and then sent him away to his family estate.

However, the exile lasted for only two years. The great commander started the military campaign straight from his house in the Konchanskoe. During this legendary expedition, he crossed the Alps and defeated the French army.

Become a real hiker

If you dream of having a hike in the Novgorod region, but at the same time you are afraid that a tourist’s life may be too hard, you should try the Big Valday trail. This is a five-day 59-kilometer walking route. Its central part goes right through the Valday National Park’s territory.

You won’t have to cope with difficulties and inconveniences of camping life here. The route is marked with signs, and there are camping sites where you can find everything you need for an overnight stay from shelters and places for a fire to toilets. The trail finishes at the Dunayevshchina village where you can take a bus back to Valday. To take the trail, you have to fill out a special form and register on the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation website.

Russian Post has launched a limited series of products dedicated to the cultural heritage of the Novgorod region.

In autumn 2020, Russian Post announced an open contest to create the design for its limited series dedicated to Novgorod region. The project was supported by the Government of the Novgorod region, ‘Russ Novgorodskaya’ (Novgorod Russia) project, the State Novgorod Museum-reservation and Yandex.

Stamps and envelopes are traditionally used to spread information about historic dates and figures and famous landmarks. Now we can also use parcel boxes, packaging tape and postcards. The limited series products will travel around the world, introducing the most popular Russian attractions to six million Russian Post clients daily.

The participants were to create the design for the limited series featuring three iconic attractions of the Novgorod region, the Novgorod Kremlin, the Millennium Of Russia Monument and the Belelyubsky Bridge in Borovichi. Moscow designers and graduates of the Higher School of Economics’ Art and Design School Alena Akmatova and Svetlana Ilyushina won the contest. Their project was chosen via an open vote and by the expert jury.