A COUNSELOR’S BLOG FOR OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING

A job search can be isolating, and coming home empty–handed day after day can be difficult to deal with. So find another person looking for a job, for mutual support, or join a job search group in your area (just Google it). If this is not for you, find a job search Blog or two and share your experience with others while reading about others’ trials and tribulations: you are not alone.

It also helps when you see your job search from a different perspective. Think of yourself as a Sales Rep. The product you are selling is you, and you are working on a commission only basis. As with any sales occupation, you have to foster a lot of prospects before you make one ‘sale’. For you that ‘sale’ is getting hired. Many sales professionals sometimes go months before they make a sale that will set them up for the year. They keep up it because they know it will come. Once you make that ‘sale’, you can not only be set up for the rest of the year, but, hopefully, for many years to follow.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in March, and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs over the month.  Employment in federal government also rose, reflecting the hiring of temporary workers for Census 2010. Employment continued to decline in financial activities and in information.

In March, the number of unemployed persons was little changed at 15.0 million, and the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent. 

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (10.0 percent), adult women (8.0 percent), teenagers (26.1 percent), whites (8.8 percent), blacks (16.5 percent), and Hispanics (12.6 percent) showed little or no change in March. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted.

For more information: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

The Financial Forecast Center (FFC) is a site that specializes in the creation of forecasts related to money: investments, loans, finance, economics and employment. Visit them at

http://www.forecasts.org/unemploy.htm.

According to the FFC the U.S. unemployment rate was estimated at 10% in November 2009, but rose to 10.1% in December 2009.  Fortunately, for the first seven months of 2010 (January thru July) the US unemployment rate is expected to hold stable at 10.2%.  According to the NY Times, President Obama’s chief economics forecaster Christina Romer indicated in May 2009, that the country was not likely to see positive employment growth until 2010.   http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/business/11economy.html.  

Aptitudes are natural abilities that we develop with minimal effort or training.  People display various aptitudes, from motor abilities (finger dexterity, manual dexterity, eye-hand-foot coordination) to verbal, numerical, and clerical aptitude, etc.  It is important to consider aptitudes when selecting a job/career because certain aptitudes will help us succeed in certain occupations by making it easy to acquire career skills and knowledge and increase our career opportunities.  

Of course, to identify a satisfying career a person must not only have the needed aptitudes, but also have interest in the occupation, or the work will become boring or meaningless in time.  Interest leads to increased competence, high motivation, and creativity.  Aptitudes are sometimes linked with interests in that our interests often develop along our natural abilities.  A person might decide to become a pianist because she has the finger and manual dexterity necessary and values self-expression. And, a bank teller might be happy in his job because he likes paying attention to detail and has the clerical and numerical aptitude to succeed.

If you are unclear what your vocational interests and aptitudes are, a vocational evaluation might be in order. Many adult programs (non-profits), which provide job placement and career training offer vocational evaluation services.  Some community colleges and public vocational/technical schools also offer these services.  For more information call your local adult education program.

If an individual has a medically or psychologically determined disability, she would most likely qualify for vocational rehabilitation services from her state office. 

Vocational rehabilitation services provided range from medical services to sheltered employment, employability skills training, job placement assistance, on-the-job training, and vocational or academic training, etc.  Once an individual has completed the application process (a lengthy one unfortunately) and has qualified for services, a vocational rehabilitation counselor will help write a rehabilitation plan. The particular services provided depend on individual needs and help the client achieve an optimal level of functioning.   

Usually this program is the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) in many states or within the Department of Education.  The program is available to all legal residents of the United States.  To find the office in your community, contact your state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation or Department of Education. 

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The field of rehabilitation recognizes that people who become physically disabled go through two emotional stages, denial and mourning, before adjusting to their disability. Negative aspects of these stages, such as dependence and hostility, are viewed as logical outcomes within a society such as ours that perpetuates an ideology of normality.  Although denial and mourning are natural responses to a disabling event, sometimes the denial (thinking one will get well in time or is able to physically do more than in actuality) and mourning (sadness and depression), take longer to overcome and impede the rehabilitation process and eventual reintegration into society. 

If you have prolonged difficulties with these negative aspects, let your doctor know.  Most major hospitals have support groups of individuals experiencing similar difficulties.  If not, perhaps a referral to a mental health professional might help.

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Have you considered a temporary job to help pay the bills while you land that permanent position? Nowadays, temporary agencies specialize and can place people in just about every career field.

There are long term assignments and, in many cases, temporary agencies may provide benefits to their employees: paid holidays, medical & dental coverage, life insurance, and 401K plan.  Ask a lot of questions about the cost of the benefits to you.

Temp jobs can provide you with experience in industries and careers you where you might not worked before. This is a good way to enhance your resume.  If you are not happy with the assignment or the employer, you can move on to your next position and start fresh.

A temp job can also be a foot-in-the-door at a company you are interested in.  And temporary assignments can turn to permanent employment.  It is estimated that 90% of all companies use temporary employees.  More and more, companies use temporary agencies to screen their employees and to send them the best candidate for their ‘temporary’ assignment. If the company likes the employee, he/she may end up with a permanent position.  If they don’t like the employee, they can request another be sent, without any commitment on their part.  So, what are you waiting for?

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Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 3 months. Some experts define it as lasting longer than 6 months. Chronic pain is different than acute pain in that it is not easy to find the cause. Diagnosis can reveal no injury in the body at all, and yet the patient can be experiencing very debilitating pain.

One way that chronic pain begins is from an injury. Scientists have found that repeated pain from an acute injury changes the way the brain lets you know you have pain. Even after the injury has healed, pain messages replay over and over again. Chronic pain may worsen in response to environmental and/or psychological factors such as depression and addiction. Chronic pain may also be related to a number of different medical conditions including (but not limited to) diabetes, arthritis, migraines, fibromyalgia, cancer, shingles, sciatica, besides injury or trauma.

There are a variety of treatment options for chronic pain. The goal of pain management is to provide symptom relief and improve an individual’s level of functioning in daily activities. A number of types of medications have been used in the management of chronic pain, including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, COX-2 inhibitors, antimigraine medications, sedatives, opioids, and antidepressants. Many people have become addicted to narcotic pain medication. Nonmedicinal treatments for chronic pain can include exercise, physical therapy, counseling, electrical stimulation, biofeedback, acupuncture, hypnosis, chiropractic medicine, and other treatments.

For more information contact the American Pain Society.

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Meditation has been found to help our immune system by minimizing the effects of stress on our bodies, as well as fighting off and helping the healing from disease.  It also improves our concentration, patience, and problem solving ability.  Who wouldn’t want that?  

If you are interested in trying meditation, you don’t need much time to get stated.  And it isn’t as difficult as you might think. Here are five ways to fit much-needed meditation into your schedule:  

1. Five minutes to start: Keep it short. You don’t have to set aside half an hour; you can start to feel the benefits with even a few minutes of regular meditation. You can build from there.

1. Have a focus. If sitting with your eyes closed is difficult, focus on an item on the wall or a candle flame. Keep your mind blank, stay in the moment. If you can’t do that, count from one to ten over and over.  

1. Find a regular time. Do not do it before you go to bed or you will fall sleep, and do not do it while you are doing something else like taking a shower. When you meditate, focus on meditation.

1. Try tensing your muscles before hand. Tense your face muscles, then your neck muscles, shoulders, chest, stomach, arms, hands, thighs, calves, and feet.  Each muscle group for five seconds.

1. Meditate again when you find the time. Reward yourself, before the drive home or after it. Or if you take mass transit do it them. Do it before an event that requires your best performance. Whatever you do don’t do it on an empty stomach: to much bodily activity.

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When a person has an addiction plus depression, doctors say they have a “dual diagnosis.” The term is a reminder for physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals that this patient has extra challenges on the road to recovery.  Symptoms of addiction and depression can be very similar. When depression is directly connected to the drug or alcohol abuse, and isn’t present independently, it’s considered a consequence of the addiction.

The combination of addiction and depression can make it harder to recover. When a person feels sad, hopeless, or exhausted, battling an addiction is a special challenge that may be difficult to face. But knowing about the link between addiction and depression, and seeking treatment to address both issues, can help make recovery possible.

Often, some people who are several weeks, if not months, into their recovery, still exhibit symptoms of sadness, hopelessness, and exhaustion.  This might not be due to “not working” the recovery program hard enough or not having “faith” in a higher power, but, rather, to the presence of depression and the need for special treatment.  For more information contact your state’s Mental Health Association.   

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