Anon gives thanks to the employment support team

Anon contacted TALKWORKS after experiencing prolonged low mood through the challenges of finding work. Through working with our employment support team, they were able to build their confidence and find a role that was right for them. Read their story below:

“Being out of work played a big part in my depression and the maintenance of my low mood. At my lowest, I had no motivation to do anything, felt tearful and fed up with my situation, and was oversleeping but still felt exhausted all the time. I had thoughts about not being good enough and believed that I was never going to find a job or pass an interview as no one would ever want to hire me.

“I had just finished university, unsure what to do with my life or where to go next as I had decided not to go down the route I had trained in and felt ashamed about this. I didn’t know anything about applying for jobs, I felt unequipped and overwhelmed as I didn’t know where to start.

“Towards the end of university, my tutor noticed that I appeared to be struggling and suggested TALKWORKS to help me through the change of finishing uni and finding a job. Initially I was reluctant to seek help as I was embarrassed after training in psychology myself. After a month or two of feeling low and not being able to bring myself to start searching for jobs, I decided to take my tutor’s advice and see if TALKWORKS could help me. I’m glad I did as the employment support I received was invaluable.

“My employment advisor taught me everything I needed to know, all the way from starting the job search up to interview technique, how to stay well in my new job, and even how to inform my employer about my difficulties and how they can support me.

“He really went above and beyond in helping me to build my job technique and confidence, on one occasion even helping me to check through an application for an extra half an hour after our appointment had ended so that I could submit it before the deadline. He seemed to genuinely care about me not only getting a job, but a job that I was passionate about and was right for me. He didn’t pressure me into applying for anything and everything, but let me take it at my own pace with his guidance.

“I’m really lucky in that I love my new job, but I feel confident now that if I did ever decide to change jobs, I have the knowledge and skills to be able to do this and can refer back to the resources he gave me. I am incredibly grateful to my employment support advisor and TALKWORKS, as I would not be where I am now if I hadn’t reached out.”

The TALKWORKS employment support team can help people who are receiving therapy from TALKWORKS with work-related difficulties. This includes finding, staying in or getting back to work. It is free to access and open to adults (age 18+) living in Devon (outside Plymouth which is covered by Plymouth Options). You must be receiving therapy from TALKWORKS for a common mental health difficulty such as stress, anxiety, low mood or problems with sleep in order to be able to access our employment support. If you would like to make a referral to TALKWORKS, you can do this by completing our online self-referral form or by calling the team on 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am – 4:45pm).