Job search depression

Yes. You are not alone. Job seeking is a full time job in itself. It takes me so long to write up a job application and then when I don't even hear back, it's frustrating. @Ruby26 

Your feelings are valid. 

@Oaktree , not sure if you want to start a Jobseeker's thread which might be helpful for people?

I think one of the common mistakes is that people apply, then they wait until they hear back - often they don't hear at all which prolongs the process. So what I've told people is to apply for whatever job they are interested in and if they respond, goood, but if they don't, it's also okay.

Another thing that has helped is to know that during the application process, recruiters sift out those who may not be a 'good fit' for the org. It doesn't mean the person is not good, but it may mean their experiences don't match what the org is looking for. 

I've been on many interview panels, and sometimes, you just know when someone wont' fit into the team that is currently there. It may because they have different values. And once again, it's not because having different values is wrong, it's just that it may not fit the current team. 

Hope this helps a little - just to know that what you are feeling is quite common.

@tyme thank you, that is helpful. 

For me the process has been prolonged because I went to a job interview and I was seen as a good fit from the interview and then asked to keep checking my emails frequently because they were going to get back to me in a couple of days. Then, I was required to do a 'pre-employment health screening' and this pressured me to disclose a bunch of sensitive information about my mental health history. Then they 'froze' my application for weeks, asked for referee details and then 'froze' the application again and asked me to re-share my medical history before they could consider me for the role- exact same questions I was asked the first time. That is what really dragged it out. I was really uncomfortable with being required to explain why I was in a psychiatric in-patient unit and why I take anti-psychotics. 

I'm sorry to hear you had to go through that @Ruby26 

I guess, if it is part of the role. Would you say that taking anti psychotics impacts your role?

@tyme, thank you. No, I don't think it was relevant. And they wanted details about mental health issues from 20 years ago too and I'm sure that shouldn't be considered relevant. They were literally demanding anything that has occurred throughout my entire lifetime. I didn't need any changes made to the role because of my mental health issues and it wouldn't have impacted on my performance. I sometimes have to take sick leave when I have a psychotic episode, but I don't see why that has to be treated as any different from taking sick leave for the flu. 

That was like when I wanted to join the defence force. I was rejected on medical grounds because I'd been in hospital before @Ruby26 ...

So sorry you had to go through all that. So now, does it mean you have the job or not?

@tyme thank you, I'm sorry to hear that you got rejected from the defence force. No, I don't have the job. 

Erghh... after all that and you still don't have the job yet. Bit harsh.. @Ruby26 

No wonder it is so depressing. I don't even know if it's legal to do that if your MH doesn't impact your work.

@Ruby26 keep the documentation from that job, which you didn't get on medical grounds

If you ever need to apply for DSP or NDIS, documentation like that spells things out in black and white

(I don't recommend disability pension. It's soul crushing, among other issues)

I'm on Jobseeker Payment and everytime I have a meeting with my Service Provider's Job Coach/ Consultant I have a Panic Attack straight afterwards. It's a cycle that never ends! I feel like I'm responsible for not having a job when it's a Mental Health reason that made me quit my Dream Job. I feel guilty sometimes for being unemployed. I really hope I can get a job this year.

Hey @FearofUnknown ,

Sorry to hear that you have a panic attack after each session. 

Do you have a therapist you can work with on this so it will make it a little easier to 'face' the next meeting? It sounds like a lot on you in that sometimes you feel responsible for not being able to work.

Looking to hear from you.

@tyme thank you. I looked it up and the company are in breach of privacy laws in Australia. It is illegal to make collection of sensitive information a condition of employment, aside from when it could become a safety concern or significantly impact ability to do the job. Most places of employment aren't permitted to ask about psychiatric history (the defence force is one of the few exceptions to this law). 

@DogMan79 thank you. I'm planning to bring this up with my psychiatrist, so it can be evidence placed on my medical records that my mental illness is a barrier to finding work. I'm already on the DSP and I've learned from my experience with having it reviewed that it is critical to be able to have a psychiatrist ready to back up struggles with finding employment. 

I'm literally just looking for part time work, for a role which I'm overqualified for and it's still been so much stress. I'm glad I have the DSP because I don't think I could cope without it. 

I'm sorry you've had such a hard time with the DSP. It is a terrible process for the soul. 

Exactly @Ruby26 ... I'm glad you looked it up. Where to from here?

@Ruby26  @DogMan79 im on the DSP and have been on it for almost 2 years. It’s the only source of income I rely on. 

@Ruby26 i feel you on the pain with the process in applying jobs. Not hearing back from companies that we applied to is disheartening and takes a mental toll, but even worse when you get rejected after the job interview. That was the time I was on the jobseeker payments before I got the DSP.

sorry for going a bit off topic here, I know it’s not relevant to your original post in this thread (if you don’t mind me sharing a bit), as for me - I personally don’t plan on applying for jobs again at this point not just because of what I’ve just mentioned but also cause no matter where I end up working AND volunteering at, I know I won’t last long there. The longest I’ve worked at a job was only for 2.5 weeks. I know very much almost every workplaces don’t take people with mental health issues and those that are ND very seriously. I just don’t see myself in doing anything like that long-term. Yet my mum wants me to have a job/career because I’m still young, however my dad who is also on DSP has refused to work for decades but my mum doesn’t tell him to work only cause he’s already quite old.

@FearofUnknown I'm so sorry you have to deal with a panic attack each time and that you lost your dream job. Those coaches have terrible reputations, I know of people with very similar reactions to you. The system is failing its responsibilities to YOU if they don't support you to get an appropriate job- there is nothing you need to feel guilty about. Just try your best and remember that the barriers to finding work are a societal problem, NOT a problem with you. 

@tyme I'm having a break from job searching, its having too much of a negative impact on my mental health. I'm sorting out some advocacy and creative projects so I'm hoping that will keep me busy for awhile (plus a bit of extra cash).   

True @Ruby26 . If the advocacy work brings in a bit of money, I guess that works.

Did I tell you about Jorajobs? I wait until they send me jobs according to my skill. They email me everyday. I just look at them and delete them if I'm not interested. I'm not looking for work, but I like looking at the job market out there.

I guess this way, you don't have to actively look, but you still have awareness of what's out there?

Of course this may not work for you, so I get that too.

@Blackcloud  thanks for your support. I'm very sorry to hear that you've struggled this much with work/volunteer work. Yes, if you're not going to last longer than a couple of weeks, it's not worth the stress of applying. 

Is the issue that people mistreat you in the workplace/volunteer organisations? Or is something else going wrong? 

@tyme thanks for telling me about Jora Jobs. I'll check it out at some point. 

Yep, the advocacy work does bring in a bit of money. Not every fortnight like an actual job, but at least I'm my own boss and can do things in my own way, rather than trying to conform to what potential employers want. 

@Ruby26 well for paid-roles, it's mainly the managers being rude and toxic and they think it's ok to treat their employees unfairly, and coworkers weren't great people to work with either. I didn't feel that I was belonged due to that. Also, considering the barriers I have associated with my condition, it makes being in an environment with other people around more than enough for me to wanting to escape and not ever come back. So everytime I think about work, those are the main things I think of when it comes to it. I expect to at least be treated like I'm being accepted and belonged in an environment such as a paid-role, but yet you get people in the workplace (every workplace I'd say) that only care about meeting their KPIs rather than not.

the volunteer ones are more lenient though, though of course I've dealt with some people (like a few other volunteers and one manager who's generally really boring and has no enthusiasm) that I don't like and give me a bad impression too. The next time I plan to volunteer again, I'd like to see if I can have my support worker come with me so that I don't need to go and do stuff in there alone without a support person. 

It actually shows you have the desire to work @Ruby26  You can even share that as part of your interviews and applications. 

And yes, you are your own boss, so that helps. I do some volunteer work as part of advocacy too. I'm working on an information booklet at the moment. I do it, not because I have time, but because I feel it is so important.

Thanks for caring @tyme . I don't have a therapist at the moment to talk through work-related issues. I feel like they wouldn't be interested in what I have to say and also I'm not sure how to say what I want to say. I do have a thread called I quit work by accident where I go into my story in more depth. I think you have visited it before. If not, I would really appreciate your thoughts/opinion/advice. Thanks once again.

@Blackcloud I'm sorry you've had such a hard time. It must have been terrible if you had to leave so quickly each time. Belonging isn't something you get in a role right away, but you deserved to be treated with politeness and acceptance. 

Having a support worker come with you sounds like a good idea. Remember that there are roles you can do that don't require too much people contact. For example, an op shop can be a nightmare to work in if you struggle being around people all day, but an animal shelter could make allowances, so that you need very little interaction with people. Think about the kind of environment that would work best for you. Look for things that suit you best, not just the first thing you get offered. Your support worker should be able to help you with organising volunteer work. It could be helpful to have your support worker on speaker to listen in when you talk to volunteer organisations on the phone too. I hope the next role you find works out better for you. 

@tyme thanks for your support. Yes, I have all the advocacy work on my resume. 

What is the information booklet you are working on about? 

@Ruby26 yes I’ve volunteered at an op shop before and definitely wouldn’t go back to do it again. I had a customer that was rude to me - it started off by her asking me “do you work here?” and then going on to say that my enthusiasm was unparallel. After that incident, my anxiety of having customers coming near me and coming to ask me something increased, because before that, I didn’t have that kind of anxiety.

yeah, I’ll have to wait until my NDIS plan gets reassessed soon & hopefully that means they’ll add more support worker hours onto my new plan and then I’ll work out from there with my current support worker. An animal shelter sounds like a nice option, though I’ve never owned my pets + I’ve also tried petting a few different dogs/puppies along the way (some of them immediately backed off or run away as soon as I tried petting them though but they came up to me first) so I’m not very familiar with what I need to do for them.

@Blackcloud it sounds like indirect disability discrimination occurred because of that customer. I'm very sorry you were treated in this way. It's against the law to mistreat someone because of how a disability impacts their body language. Customers can make a judgement about the type of service you give them, but they have no right judge what you were feeling and its very rude to actually approach you to express such a judgement. 

Customer service work is very difficult and demanding work. There are many other options of work that don't involve having to do customer service. I've never worked in customer service roles because high conflict positions are a mental health trigger. I can cope well with work in psychiatric wards and disability services, but I wouldn't cope in customer service. In theory, an op shop should support their volunteers, but the reality is that many of them don't.  

I don't think you need any experience with animals to volunteer at an animal shelter. You just need to learn the signals that animals give when they want company and when they want space. When in doubt, you just give the animal space. Animals are much easier to read than people, so you should get the hang of it quickly. You should be able to bring in a support worker for your first shift for support in learning this.  

@Ruby26 thank you so much for the kind words my friend ❤️ I did tell a few other volunteers I trust and the managers about it afterwards and they were upset to hear about what happened so I felt supportive by them. I was even told that next time when a customer comes up and is being rude to me that I can immediately go and let the manager know about it so that the manager can come up to that customer to tell on her. I really appreciate with everything you say my friend ❤️

I 100% agree, which is why I’ve never wanted to work in customer service. Even when I was in job seeker payments, I keep having to tell and try to convince the job consultants about it but they were always being dismissive by saying stuff like “is there a reason why you don’t want to work in customer service?” for example. At times they would come up with backhanded reasons by trying to reassure me whenever they introduced me to a role that they’ve found for me, even after I refuse. 2 of the jobs I worked at came from the job consultants from job providers applying them for me & I guess it’s kinda good that I got to experience what it’s really like working in roles that involve talking to customers, so that I now know as to what i decide to do and what I decide to not do.

It’s the main reason why I worked really hard for a few months (after being registered for job providers for more than a year and a half) to prepare for my DSP application. It’s also great that I got the 18 months experience in the program of support prior to applying for DSP.

thank you for that information. And that’s true, animals are more easier to read and to deal with than people are. It’s why I think animals are the best creatures to ever exist. 🤗

@Blackcloud you're welcome, I'm glad the people you worked with were supportive. 

Job consultants have a terrible reputation in terms of supporting people who need disability accommodations. They often put people in jobs which have a long history of having employees quit due to poor working conditions and workplace bullying. I know people who went to job consultants for years and never got offered a job that was safe for them. Often it is when people stop going to these services and start looking for jobs on their own terms that they find jobs that meet their needs. 

The DSP is better because you get to apply for things in your own time and space. You may find searching for jobs on your own would work better, because you can avoid applying for high conflict environments like customer service. Just be careful of Disability Employment Services, they are basically the same thing as the job consultants you would have seen with Jobseeker. The only real difference is that they may also offer supported employment, which means getting paid less than minimum wage and being in an environment with other people with developmental disabilities (it's the new term for a sheltered workshop).  

It sounds like you would really be suited to working with animals. 

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@Blackcloud you're welcome, I'm glad the people you worked with were supportive. 

 

Job consultants have a terrible reputation in terms of supporting people who need disability accommodations. They often put people in jobs which have a long history of having employees quit due to poor working conditions and workplace bullying. I know people who went to job consultants for years and never got offered a job that was safe for them. Often it is when people stop going to these services and start looking for jobs on their own terms that they find jobs that meet their needs. 

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@Ruby26 oh don't worry, the job providers I've been under were all under Disability Employment Services and I've had horrible experiences with them in terms of everything you mentioned here. One time I was offered this jobactive program by one of them and I participated in the program, but the way that the job provider + consultant handled it all was so disorganised both a few days before the program started and both on the day that the program started. That program was how I got my first job. 

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@tyme thanks for your support. Yes, I have all the advocacy work on my resume. 

 

What is the information booklet you are working on about? 

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I'm working on a booklet for carers who are supporting loved ones in emergency departments. @Ruby26 

@Blackcloud I'm sorry that you've had such a hard time with the Disability Employment Services. Everyone I know who has used this service has had a horrible time. The fact they couldn't find you a decent job says nothing about your value or your ability to work. 

@tyme that sounds like an important project. ER's are such stressful places, anything that helps make the process easier is critical to people's wellbeing. Best wishes with the project. 

Thanks @Ruby26 . The first draft is finished. Waiting to make edits. 

How's your job search going? DId you hear back from the original company?

@tyme well done! 

No, I felt like I was just going around in circles with that company. I ended up sending them a final notice email for some closure. I got the sense they wanted me to be the one to pull out, so they wouldn't be liable for discrimination. I don't think the job would have been the right fit for me, if that was going to be their attitude. There were several red flags from the human resources department, which was disappointing because they interview itself went well. 

@Ruby26 that’s right! And it’s really nice to talk to you again my friend, how have you been over the past few days? 😊🌸

Hey @Ruby26 ,

In a way, good on you for being the bigger person and letting them know. From what you described, I could 'feel' that it didn't sit right with you. 

It seemed like what they asked for was quite intrusive to say the least.

Well done on knowing what your body needs and giving yourself a break if you feel that's what's needed.

@Blackcloud aw, thank you, I always love hearing from you. 

I've been a bit down and overwhelmed over the past few days. I'm struggling to come to terms with the long-term impact trauma has had on me. 

How have you been going? 

@tyme thanks for your support. 

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@Blackcloud aw, thank you, I always love hearing from you. 

 

I've been a bit down and overwhelmed over the past few days. I'm struggling to come to terms with the long-term impact trauma has had on me. 

 

How have you been going? 

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I'm sorry to hear about that my friend ❤️ Please know I'm always here for you no matter what even if we don't know each other in real life, but meeting and interacting with each other on here is more than enough for us to look out for each other, just like how I'm looking out for you 😊 I get you friend, I too have unresolved trauma that has been having a long-term impact on me and not to mention has made me become the person I am in the worst way possible (not as in the drug addict type, --> just someone whose rather isolated and is used to having anxiety and depression day-to-day kind of thing) but thats not to say I've come to accept the long-term impact it has had on me as well though, because even to this day I too still struggle to accept the impact that trauma has been having on me to that extent and I still blame the people (especially people at school) that have made me feel that way in the past 

I'm not feeling great today, nothing in my life is worth looking forward to, I'm just here to exist and survive + trying to get through it. Thank you for asking friend ❤️

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@Blackcloud wrote:

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@Blackcloud aw, thank you, I always love hearing from you. 

 

I've been a bit down and overwhelmed over the past few days. I'm struggling to come to terms with the long-term impact trauma has had on me. 

 

How have you been going? 

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I'm sorry to hear about that my friend ❤️ Please know I'm always here for you no matter what even if we don't know each other in real life, but meeting and interacting with each other on here is more than enough for us to look out for each other, just like how I'm looking out for you 😊 I get you friend, I too have unresolved trauma that has been having a long-term impact on me and not to mention has made me become the person I am in the worst way possible (not as in the drug addict type, --> just someone whose rather isolated and is used to having anxiety and depression day-to-day kind of thing) but thats not to say I've come to accept the long-term impact it has had on me as well though, because even to this day I too still struggle to accept the impact that trauma has been having on me to that extent and I still blame the people (especially people at school) that have made me feel that way in the past 

 

I'm not feeling great today, nothing in my life is worth looking forward to, I'm just here to exist and survive + trying to get through it. Thank you for asking friend ❤️

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@Ruby26 sorry I forgot to tag you ❤️

How was this week going for you @Ruby26 ? I know you said you'll have a break from job searching. 

Have you been up to much else?

@Blackcloud aw, thank you so much for all your kindness. Your friendship means so much to me. I'm always here for you and looking out for you too. I'm sorry that I'm slow to reply, I do really appreciate all your messages and all your understanding and acceptance. 

I'm really sorry you've experienced such a bad impact from trauma too. No one should ever have to get used to have depression, anxiety and isolation. I'm sorry that life has been so hard for you and that people were mean to you at school. 

I hope things get better for you soon. You deserve to have things to look forward to in this life. The best in life and love and happiness is ahead of you. I've been in a long-time state of hopelessness before, and it can and does get better. 

What things do you enjoy doing? 

@tyme it's been a difficult week, but I did manage to still get a lot done. I've been very busy with advocacy projects, and I've started rehearsals for a musical theatre production. 

What have you been up to? How is the job search stuff going for you? 

@Ruby26 aww our friendship means so much to me too 💗 and don’t worry my friend, it’s ok to come back and respond whenever you can and whenever you have the energy or spoons to do so. It’s common for us NDs to have a lot of days (even everyday especially I would think?) where we are very much overwhelmed like..around 80-90% of the time perhaps 😊😌

I really appreciate your lovely and kind/warm words as (from your third paragraph) I needed to hear that today ❤️ I think with the increased funding that I’m getting on my new plan - which hopefully means increased support work hours and days that that can mean that I’m possibly making a bit of progress in life, as i know I really do need that regular support to reduce that feeling of loneliness and negative thoughts/SI & maladaptive daydreams of a certain idol I have a crush on that obviously is never gonna happen in real life (this part is the main reason why I wanted to seek a psychologist for it)

that’s hard to answer to be really honest. There’s nothing in life I do that brings me joy as I just lay in bed whilst doomscrolling 😂 I mean I guess I lowkey do like going out for walks but only when the weather isn’t very hot though hehe - which is why I can’t wait until winter comes! ❄️

I feel like keeping myself busy and distracted like for example - working on assignments from a course I’m studying helps distract me from all of those feelings and thoughts I keep getting 

I just look at jobs here and there @Ruby26 . I have no intention of changes jobs or anything. It's just interesting to know what's out there.

I'm still doing the volunteering. It's been good. I can't complain.

Things comes, things go. I'm in a good place.

Musical production sounds interesting! I LOVE musicals. I'm waiting for the next kid friendly musical so I can book it for my nieces and nephew.

@Blackcloud thanks for your understanding. Yes, being overwhelmed 80-90% of the time sounds about right lol. 

I'm glad what I said helped. You are a lovely and kind person yourself. I'm also glad you have this extra funding- getting the right support is important. 

I have an issue with idealising people in my life and then crashing hard when I finally realise that they aren't who I thought they were and have actually been thinking very poorly of me for a long time. I just can't read sometimes that I can love and admire another person, yet I mean nothing to them. I should get professional help for this as it gets really out of hand. I'm scared of seeing psychologists. 

I'm sorry that there isn't a lot in life that brings you joy. I wonder if your support worker can help you try out a variety of activities and see what works for you? Psychologists can help with finding resources for trying out new things during time on your own too. It doesn't have to be anything super social or impressive, just little things that bring some happiness into your life. You deserve to be happy my friend. 

@Ruby26  for me I’ve been having the thing of idealising certain people I have a crush on or that I’m obsessed with for most of my life. About seeing a psychologist, there’s actually psychologists who are NDs themselves that use a neuroaffirming approach that you can look up on — that’s what I did and that was what led me to see my current psych  that fits exactly what I’m looking for! Perhaps you might consider doing that too? You might find that the one that has a lived experience who uses that approach can be a really great fit! You never know till you try 🙂 of course, no pressure if you’re not ready or not comfortable with it!😊

As an ND I find that seeing professionals that use the traditional approach really unhelpful for my needs and they’re usually really patronising. Almost everytime I’ve had a session with them I was often left with feelings of being invalidated and that it was my fault for being different, even when you tried explaining to them why you’re not able to do what they suggest you do - but instead of them taking their times to understand your reasoning, instead they would be really dismissive of it and would overall make you feel a lot worse after.
So for me I’d rather avoid these MH professionals like the plague and only rely on the ones that have a lived experience with a neuroaffirming approach and care.  ❤️

@Blackcloud I've tried to find neurodivergent therapists before, but it's hard to find one based in Australia. I had an autistic mentor who was fantastic but then she died and there doesn't seem to be any other similar service available. 

I'm glad you have a better psychologist now. Therapists who are invalidating are terrible.  

@Ruby26 (in case if the forum guidelines doesn't allow me to mention a specific service otherwise) there's actually services that have ND psychologists that based in australia that are available. One of them being Neudle Psychology which is the one I currently see a psychologist from -- they're amazing for ND individuals/clients! I highly recommend it!!

You can look more into it via the link below! 🙂 They offer MHCP via medicare rebate sessions that you can get your GP to get a MHCP from. The sessions are obviously expensive, but even via MHCP with medicare rebate its still a lot cheaper than the full costs.

click here

@Blackcloud thank you so much for the recommendation, that's very helpful to know. 

How are you going @Ruby26 ?

What have you been up to recentl? Sorry it's taken some time to get back to you.

@tyme thanks for the check in. Sorry its taken me so long to get back to you too. 

Work was really busy for a few weeks, including a huge project that recently finished up. I've been quite down for the last week and a half. 

How are things going for you? 

Sorry you have felt down recently @Ruby26 

I really appreciated you choosing to respond to my experience in the so called Masters in Diversity and Inclusion.  Reading this thread, I can see you and others have had your own poor experiences in the field.  I had an earlier experience at another university doing Counselling, where I was prevented from going into the postgrad course, which I had well and truly enough quals for, and I submitted to that course co-ordinator, who was not aware of her judgmental biases, and did yet another Cert 4. Now, I have also socialised with a lot of academics and health professionals, and I am so unimpressed with many of them.  So now, I am more passionate about peer support rather than even buying into the clinical and academic models.

My story is quite extreme, so takes a while for people to get the real situation. 

@Blackcloud 

@Appleblossom yeah exactly, that’s also why I’ve also been wanting to lean more into doing peer support as well.

In my experience so far, even course coordinators and other relevant staff members of the cert 4 in mental health peer work can be like that too - like I have this issue or barrier where when it comes to verbal communications I struggle to form proper sentences when I’m talking to someone on the spot without me constantly needing to actually take the time to fully process the words that I need to say & everytime, I have to keep making multiple pauses and stuff. I asked one of the placement coordinators of another institution at the time if it’s possible that I can talk to clients through chat-based communication for placements, to which that request got denied. But this was a year ago.

Now I’m about to start off doing that cert IV course next week & I’ve already found a placement that’s more suited and accommodated to my needs (because the organisation I’ll be doing placements at is the same organisation I currently volunteer as one of the facilitator roles with & that organisation is solely focused on neurodivergence)

@Blackcloud Hhmmm.  Difficulty in Speaking is not that unusual an issue, so sorry your course would not accomodate it. (Weirdly I was just speaking about my difficulties with it on another thread on Sane forum  lol)  But it is good you do have placements and positions in a course now.  It sounds like a really valuable and interesting and skill building role.

I may go back to study one day, but not in a hurry to settle for low grade circumstances. I have always submitted, and I dont need to do that whilst also paying HECS etc.  Working on finding my tribe atm.  

@Ruby26 @FearofUnknown @tyme 

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@tyme thanks for the check in. Sorry its taken me so long to get back to you too. 

 

Work was really busy for a few weeks, including a huge project that recently finished up. I've been quite down for the last week and a half. 

 

How are things going for you? 

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Sorry to hear you have been quite down @Ruby26 . Is it due to changes you are aware of? Is the project part of the voluntary work? I've just finished a voluntary project recently too.

@Appleblossom thank you, I'm glad to hear my response was helpful. I was also prevented from studying a postgrad counselling course- even after they already told me I had a place in the program. I was given a place in a Master of Social Work but then they refused to let me undertake the compulsory placement. A lot of these courses just make assumptions with any disclosure of disability. 

Peer support sounds like a good decision. I worked in peer support for years. The only thing is that many of the paid peer support positions are very focused on having peer workers who relate well with the clinicians rather than about the peer to peer work itself. Be careful about any peer job that involves working in a clinical service. 

@Blackcloud I'm glad to hear you found a placement that works for you. I had a lot of trouble finding placement for the Cert IV, I had to combine work from a whole bunch of different places because no one would give me the full 120 hours' worth of work (I only just got the hours done a few days before the deadline). 

I also struggle a lot with verbal communication. What you've described sounds very much like my experiences with auditory processing issues. Sometimes, if you can get a psychiatrist or a GP to write a letter explaining auditory processing issues, that can help with reasonable adjustments. It legally needs to be treated the same as if someone with a hearing impairment was studying the course. 

@Ruby26 @Blackcloud @tyme @FearofUnknown 

I am old enough for age pension soon, so not too worried about paid roles, and glad I dont have to compromise myself. Yes, I am aware of those issues in clinical field regarding peer work being used as window dressing... am meeting more peer workers..on and off line ...  and hearing their point of view.

Also met a badly behavied psychiatrist, whose naked attention seeking, grandiosity and lack of insight is not a testament to that pro and con .... pro and con ... maybe a bit of conjob ...profession .... cough cough.

It does help to have permission to speak freely.

@tyme thank you. I ended up relapsing with depression. I don't think it's been caused by specific recent changes but more of an issue that's been going on long term. 

This project was paid work. It was only short term but it was a topic that is important to me and having some money come in has been great too. 

How have things been going for you? How did things go with your voluntary project? 

@Appleblossom I'm glad to hear that you're in a position in which peer support doesn't have to be paid- that gives more options away from clinicians. There is a great need for more peer support, and it sounds like you're on the right track with networking. 

I'm sorry you met such a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, psychiatrists get away with a lot of bad behaviour because of power hierarchies. It is scary to think about the potential harm this particular psychiatrist may be causing to people. 

@Appleblossom Yeah I feel the same way for being on the disability pension, I don’t need to worry about paid work for now either, other than having to pay for rent which takes up literally half to a bit over half my income.🙃🥲(I’m ok though)

@Ruby26 its great doing meaningful work.... double bonus being paid

also important to keep a level of busyness and social engagement up...

for me also ... healthy doses of solitude and down time

socialising is my main learning ar the moment... though not in formal course setting... more experimenting with all sorts of socialising... just getting out there... 

@Blackcloud yes its a challenge to manage day to day life expenses on a pension

I have plumber coming tomorrow, but it should be fine... its taken a long time to be able to say that... and know I have a reasonable chance of covering random maintenance etcetc

I can go out and buy a meal or a coffee occasionally, but its still pretty rare...

... my self esteem was so low... i ddidn't want to risk rejection by applying for jobs... I have been in the old bracket for a bit... big respect to those still out there ... fighting the good fight

@Appleblossom Unlike me I buy meals very regularly 😂😂 I have just started getting back to purchasing ready made meals from a meal-plan delivery service so that I can stop having to purchase meals from restaurants and all of that stuff that I would do at least once a week or so. The meals from a meal-plan delivery service that I get…the prices are…ok but could be cheaper in my opinion (they range from $13.99-15.00 per meal?). That’s why I’m desperate for the NDIA to add that option of ordering delivery meal plans onto my NDIS budget so that I can purchase meals through my NDIS budget without having to deal with all the out of pocket stuff.

Autistic people like me struggle to cook, especially if the meals we would like to make have sooooo many instructions and our brains can’t keep up nor cope with it all, so for me I usually make really easy stuff like e.g. I normally steam rice & veggies (broccoli, sometimes kale and bok Choy) and I cook eggs — I do all of these separately as one of the ways I can to survive.

you develop a life style that is effective for you @Blackcloud 

I was not a great cook... but bumbled my way through and now I am an old lady, I do find it a therapeutic activity... the planning, shopping and preparing food... it is relaxing, now that I dont have to worry about pleasing many different palates and food needs

I take a nutritious but low stress approach... i have chronic neck pain ... and probably autistic... so i keep it simple

its good you have few meals you are comfortable preparing

my son was eating out a lot... and also figured out costs per meals

when I am just feeding me... its pretty low cost... tho I do have more protein in my diet these days... so feel pretty spoiled... even if I am lazy and have lots of left-overs... at least I also know whats actually in the food... a girfriend keeps getting sick from restaurant food... she has a real touchy bowel

have a good day

Thank you friend @Appleblossom and yeah nutrition is really important for our overall health too 🌿 I always choose meals from the meal delivery service that have olive oil & many other healthy ingredients contained. I basically want to follow my naturopath’s advice as I’d like to maintain nutrition (getting enough protein, veggies and stuff like quinoa/lentils/beans etc..) as well as maintaining my gut health with these meals as I’ve been dealing with gut issues for a while now  ❤️🌿

sounds like a great balanced diet @Blackcloud 

I only discovered quinoa recently tho, done most legumes all my life...

its still good to learn a new trick... soaking it in milk... lol

Peer support work has been incredible for me @Ruby26 . I felt I fell naturally into the rhythm of it because I'd be sharing parts of my life with people for many years before hand. I first noticed the power of this when I connected on the forums, and when I was in a PARC.

For the first time, I was able to share my journey without judgement. And not only for me, but to support others going through something similar.

Now, I work for very organisations in both lived experience positions and peer work positions

@Blackcloud you can cook more than I can. All I can "cook" is vegetables on pita bread, mushrooms and cheese on toast, overnight oats, protein shakes, salad, garlic bread and toast with spreads. I tried to cook eggs and I couldn't even work out how to unlock the childproof thing on the stove top.

I mostly live off frozen meals because I get sick from iron deficiency otherwise. I find meals at the frozen section of the supermarket at about $6-8 each. 

I tend to eat out a lot too despite not having a lot of money. 

@tyme that's fantastic, I felt the same way about peer work too. 

@Ruby26 hahaha I wish I could 😅🥲 maybe in the future like after I get some support from my OT and my support workers regarding the cooking then I might start to be better at cooking than I am right now haha but who knows 😅

@Ruby26 , I think this is why I'm so passionate about peer work. I have qualifications in other areas, but peer work has really given me such a boost in life.