About Tina
Licensed Professional Counselor · NCDA Master Trainer · President 2028-29, National Career Development Association · Professor, Portland State University
Tina Peterman, Ph.D. (she/her) builds her work around a simple belief: career decisions shape identity, relationships, mental health, and overall well-being — and deserve real expertise, not generic advice.
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Supervisor of Career Practitioners with more than 30 years of experience in counseling and career development. Over a decade in executive higher-education leadership, she led organizational and budget turnarounds, built and scaled cross-functional teams, and directed large-scale change management and program development. She brings that same rigor to Peterman Career Studio.
Tina is President-Elect-Elect of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and an NCDA Master Trainer. She’s co-delivered the Career Practitioner Supervision Certification (CSCP) program internationally to career professionals in 10 countries. She also co-developed the Disability Career Consultant Certification Program (DCCP)— now run internationally, including cohorts in Singapore, Saipan, and the U.S.
Her work draws on clinical rehabilitation counseling and career development theory, and is informed by numerous publications in career counseling and disability studies. She served on the editorial board of Career Development Quarterly for several years and is the principal investigator on over $4 million in federal grants.
Tina brings her own story to this work, too. She was the first in her family to go to college, and she's built her career while raising a family—she knows what it means to navigate major transitions without a roadmap and to make career decisions that have to work for a whole life, not just a resume line.
PHILOSOPHY
The Studio Approach
Whether Tina is working with an individual client, supervising a counselor, or training career practitioners around the world, her process follows the same arc: Reflection, Exploration, Strategy, and Action. It's not a proprietary formula — it's a collaborative, research-informed way of working through complex career and life decisions with clarity
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Reflection
clarifying values, strengths, and priorities
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Exploration
mapping career pathways, options, and labor-market realities
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Strategy
weighing tradeoffs, priorities, and workplace fit
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Action
networking, job search strategy, and next steps
Full Credentials
President-Elect-Elect, National Career Development Association (2026-2030)
Ph.D., Rehabilitation Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison (2003)
Licensed Professional Counselor, Oregon (OBLPCT #2429)
Fellow, National Career Development Association
Fellow, American Council on Education
Certified Supervisor of Career Practitioners (CSCP), NCDA
NCDA Co-Editor and Master Trainer, Certified Supervisor of Career Practitioners
Disability Career Consultant Certification Program (DCCP) co-author and trainer
Credentialing Commission Chair, NCDA (2021–2022); Commissioner (2017–2022)
Editorial Board, Career Development Quarterly (2012–2020)
Professor, Counselor Education, Portland State University (2020–present); former Interim Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, PSU College of Education
Get in touch
Let's Start a Conversation
Whether you're an individual navigating a career or life transition, a counselor looking for supervision, or an organization exploring training or consulting — I'd love to hear from you.