Monika Larini

Many encourage people to step out of their comfort zone. I rather believe that one should make unknown situations more pleasant and interesting by expanding the boundaries of their present world. It is indeed a matter of point of view: a career counselor helps you find different perspectives on your work life that allow you to transform your initial conundrums into new inspiring beginnings, choose concrete actions amidst an overwhelming range of possibilites, and let your initial fear of the unknown turn into curiosity about what you will soon discover.

My counseling style has developed through the interaction of professional academic education and work experience in predominantly creative environments. As a counsellor, I can be more supportive of those who see work as self-fulfillment and a strong part of their personal identity than just a way of earning a living. My personal career experience also helps me to be a more sensitive supporter of people who are moving towards a career change, whether it is deliberately planned or due to external and unexpected factors.

I have worked in culture most of my life. I have been fortunate to work in very inspiring, emotional and diverse organisations, contributing to various stages of their development. This has trained me to notice and analyse different work cultures and to understand what opens up, triggers and inspires people in different situations.

Very often, my work has also had an international dimension, which has taught me to “translate” habitual activities and ways of thinking into those of other cultures.

Educational facts: I have a master’s degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Tartu. During my further career cycle, my deepened interest in work relations has led me to read Organisational Behaviour at Tallinn University and to do further studies at Tartu University (Two-year Psychology and Career Counsellor Training Programme) and in England (Firework Career Coach Training Programme).

I hold a career counsellor state certification and a Firework career coach license. I am also licensed to administer psychological tests like Personality Inventory, Mental Ability Scale and Vocational Interests Inventory.

If my previous work experience is to be placed under any common denominator by job title, then:

• for 4 years I was a dramaturge and literary editor at the Estonian Theatre Agency and the Estonian Drama Theatre;
• for 16 years I was the CEO of the Estonian Theatre Agency, the Estonian Institute and the Estonian Association of Performing Arts Institutions;
• in addition, I have taught History and Theory of Theatre and Scenography at Tartu University, Tallinn University and the Estonian Academy of Arts for 8 years.

Since 2019, I have been dedicated exclusively to counselling and coaching. For the first few years, I worked in a national career counselling system, which gave me a very diverse client experience and also an understanding of my own nature and boundaries as a counsellor. The desire to be more flexible, both in terms of content and geography, and the courage that grew out of my professional experience, mixed with inherent passion and dreams, led to the birth of Larini² Counselling in January 2021 .

Each counselling process is in its own way telling the story of a person’s life and offering a variety of endings to it. Just like in a fairy tale, only with the knowledge that along any of these three possible paths, the dragon will not end up eating the prince. The last sentence summarizes for me the essence of the counsellor’s or coach’s work: to help others reach well-thought-out and fearless future scenarios. I would be grateful to accompany you along these journeys.