Sharah has not only managed to overcome her mental health issues, but the 22-year-old Morwell resident has also found a job where she is in a prime position to help others do the same.
Four years ago, the former café worker was no longer able to work and due to her high anxiety.
Several months ago Sharah decided to start searching for a job, so Sharah contacted her local atWork Australia office in Morwell where she met her Job Coach, Caitlin.
Caitlin said when she first met Sharah, she had completely withdrawn herself from society. “She was so overwhelmed that she could no longer communicate with others, she couldn’t take public transport, and this affected her life for four long years,” she said. However, once Caitlin began to work on building her confidence and reducing her anxiety, Sharah quickly made efforts to interact and become more social with those around her. Her efforts included walking or catching trains and buses to her appointments.
On Job Shadow Day, an initiative in partnership with atWork Australia and Work Solutions Gippsland, Sharah was able to experience the world of work by ‘shadowing’ someone in the workplace as they went about their working day. Sharah found that interacting with and helping others became natural to her.
Another initiative that Caitlin implemented that helped Sharah was resilience training, run by a local charity. This involved group work for three weeks, aimed at helping people with mental health conditions gain confidence.
Caitlin and atWork Australia were so impressed with Sharah’s transformation that they were able to offer a role as a Customer Support Consultant. Her role involves being a friendly support to job seekers just like her.
Caitlin stated that Sharah’s journey had been amazing to watch and that the key to her recovery was being shown encouragement and support.
Sharah was happy that she’d finally been given an opportunity to show her worth. “I finally feel good enough and look forward to seeing how my future career pans out.”
atWork Australia helps thousands of people just like Sharah every year to find their way into meaningful work and life. Call us on 1300 080 856 or enquire online today to see how we can help you.