Get out your Yellow Pages and look for any one of these:
Local mental health centers. Almost every major city has a local mental health and guidance center that offers counseling services for a reduced fee. Look in your Yellow Pages under "Mental Health Services."
- Local churches. Churches of any denomination don't care if you are a member when you are in need of help. Most churches have support groups for unemployed people, especially during difficult economic times. If you need additional counseling, church staff members can refer you to organizations that can offer low-cost counseling services.
- YMCA. Most YMCA organizations have a counseling center or can refer you to helpful organizations in your community.
- Local psychological associations and hospital referral services. Most psychological associations have a referral number you can use to get access to professional counseling. L(X)k in your Yellow Pages under "Associations." Many major hospitals in large cities now publicize physician referral services you can call to get help.
Get Moving Right Away
Some of the advice friends will give you when you are out of work can be helpful. Other times their advice should definitely be ignored. One of the worst ideas when you have been laid off is to "take some time off. Relax! You have earned it." In fact, the longer you wait to find a job, the longer it will take, and the more likely you will be to dwell on your situation. Your new job will not find you. Every day that you wait before starting is just one more day you go without a job.
Bob Shea, president of an outplacement firm in Virginia, tells people to start looking right away. As difficult as it may seem, he believes the best advice is to act immediately. "You've got to set your emotions aside and get about the business of marketing yourself for the next job," Shea believes. Even though you will definitely experience some strong emotions, you cannot let your emotions stand in the way of finding a new job.
Dealing with All Those Stupid Comments
"People's reactions when I told them I was laid off reminded me of some of the dumb things people say at funerals," one unemployed job-seeker recalls. "Let's face it, people don't deal with crises very well. Sometimes they say some of the most inane things. If I didn't need their help as I looked for a new job, I would have avoided them altogether."
As you start to explain your recent job loss to people, you may find that they react with clumsy or insensitive comments. Your mother-in-law suggests that this is a sign that you should really stay home and have children. Your neighbor asks what you did to get fired. Your friend tells you about someone she knew who was out of work for three years and lost every possession he owned. Many people don't deal well with bad news. You shouldn't let this deter you from using all the contacts you have as you look for a new job. Remember that people can be uncomfortable with the situation. Like a sudden death, a friend's or relative's job loss can hit close to home for some people. Their first re actions may be inappropriate and ineffective. Don't let such awkward reactions stop you from talking to people in your network who can be critical to your job search.
