He’d been out of work for 16-months. He doesn’t have any experiences with counseling services. He has time to spare. He cannot afford such services. We agree to an equitable arrangement. He prefers mornings. We meet on a Saturday. He called the day before. Intuitively, I sense a need to see him right away. We meet at 9 a.m. I give Casey directions to my office.

There’s a gentleman waiting in his older model Chevrolet as I pull up to my office. There’s no worry on Saturdays for parking tickets. I acknowledge the man, he rolls down his window, and he asks if I’m the counselor.

Yes. Are you Casey?

“Yes, I am.”

He follows me into my office. I offer him water, which he accepts. Thank you for coming. May I call you Casey?

“Yes, Sir.”

Did you get here early Casey or did you just arrive?

“I’ve been here for an hour. I’ve been so used to being awake at this hour.”

How did you feel about calling for counseling, Casey?

“It felt weird. My work schedule was 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I’ve been out of work for all these months. I’d been working there for 12 years. I kept the same schedule.”

Has being out of work impacted your sleep schedule?

“Yes. I am all mixed up. I used to get home at 7:30 a.m. or so. I live alone. I grab some food, take my dog out for a run, then return home to sleep until 3 or 4 p.m. My dog and I would go out again so she could do her business. I’d make dinner and feed her, too. I’d grab a nap until 9:30 or so, get up and get food ready for my shift. Now, even after all these months, I try to maintain a similar schedule. After several months, I tried sleeping when it was dark since I wasn’t working. I sleep fairly well. I wonder if I got back to work, if I’ll be all confused.”

What have these months of unemployment been like for you, Casey?

“It’s just me and Beauty, my dog. I have a girlfriend and she lives an hour away. She’s working from home. She has income. I’ve been getting unemployment benefits. Course, I tried to save money. I own my own home; still paying a mortgage on it. COVID concerns have kept Sylvia, my girlfriend, and me apart. We talk almost daily. This time apart has been difficult for us both.”

What’s the status of your job, Casey?

“My plant shut down. COVID caused big problems. Our supplies come from overseas. The bulk of our supply chain stopped abruptly. We were laid off. We didn’t know how soon deliveries would resume. I work on the production team. Everyone (and we are a big team) got laid off. The months have passed with no word on getting back to work. The trouble is that I’d just got a raise. Before I even saw the extra money in my paycheck, the plant shut down. I talk here and there with some of my fellow workers. Most of us are on a tight household budget. Unemployment may run out we were told. I don’t want to lose my house, you know what I mean?”

I’d like to ask you, Casey, were you receiving the extra weekly unemployment benefits to your check?

“Yes; it really helped out a lot. I kept up with the news of how long it would last. The extra was welcomed.”

Let me ask you, have you heard anything from the employer? Do they think the plant will regain? And if so, will they expect any changes such as scheduling, pay, and benefits?

“I have not heard much. They want to reopen. We did have a general meeting on Zoom. They couldn’t say whether or not if we resumed operations, if it would resume as before. So, I live close to the bone. I try saving what I can if I get bad news. I still pay into my health benefits. If I lose my job, wow! I’m not sure if I could afford good health benefits.”

Is this the reason you called for counseling, Casey?

“Yes, I guess so. Sylvia tells me I’ve been getting overly worried. She’s an optimist. She’s working like I said. She tries to lift my spirits up when I get down. I want to be hopeful but it’s hard after all these months have passed, you know what I mean?”

I’m glad you came. Counseling can be helpful for people in many ways. I probably can’t help you directly with your job situation. You have little control as you’ve explained right now. However, you can decide what to work on here. For example, we can review your daily schedule and assess your satisfaction. Are you OK with day-to-day living? If so, hear yourself discuss or maybe even write down what comprises your day. If not so satisfied, counseling can help you explore and discover new and different ways that might bring greater satisfaction. Also, we can begin to look at job changes. During months of COVID, many laid-off workers have gotten busy with ideas held back due to busy lives when you were gainfully employed. Many have even started home businesses. Some folks have dreams kept at bay until time opened up.

“I get it. So I need to look at the last months of unemployment and review what’s kept me busy. I’ve watched lots of movies. I play video games. I try to exercise. Well, I suppose I could do more. I’ve gained some weight. I snack a lot. I guess I could stand to improve my diet. I don’t need much. I guess I could read some books that Sylvia dropped off for me.”

That’s a good start, Casey.

I think you might think more and address what you do daily. Review what you do; what you thought before about doing and have it done. Also, checking in on your diet and sleep schedule are good wholesome beginnings. You can be your own best advocate. You can set any goals you’d like; small goals for a start. Working towards achieving those small goals can build confidence towards adding any larger long-term goals. We can talk about any and all goals you decide upon. Until you decide upon your own fate with your current job, time can help you discover your creative self. Just for a start. O.k.?

“See you next week.”

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.