Since august, The Services Center for Supported Employment – Constantaoffers group vocational consultancy services

Credits: LEAD

The Services Center for Supported Employment – Constantastarted in August to implement a group vocational counseling programme for young adults with disabilities looking for a job, beneficiaries of LEAD project in Romania.

The main aim of this programme is to stimulate the motivation of young adults with disabilities to lay the foundations for an attitudinal and behavioral change, in order to maximize their chances of social and professional integration.

During these sessions, HAO specialists help young adults: to understand and become aware of who they are and what they can become, to be aware of their qualities and defects, to increase their self-esteem, to perceive their own identity by comparing to others, to capitalize on their personal resources, to adopt a positive attitude towards themselves and others, to socialize more with those around them, to set the “I – Others”boundaries, to increase the level of responsibility for their own person, as well as for the group to whichthey belong. Particular attention is paid to stimulating the intrinsic motivation so that it can initiate the process of vocational (professional) development and involvement in finding a job.

This program is based on the DOTS Model, which provides four general directions in the career counseling process and allows the beneficiary to focus on action.

The programme began with the module dedicated to self-knowledge and personal development. By going through this module, participants had the opportunity to learn how to self-evaluate in a realistic way, so that they will eventually be able to make decisions while taking into account their qualities, skills and the possibilities that may arise.

“We identified: things which they like, people who are important to them, places where they feel good, activities they want to do, aspects they want to get over. The participants entered in a game resembling a train journey in which they were invited to go together in an Adventure of self-knowledge. In this Adventure, each of them was free to take the good things and leave behind the unpleasant memories. They were invited to realize how different they are from each other, and how many elements help them to connect to each other, such as: computer games, spending time with family and friends, walks, watching TV, music and drawing”, said Alina Sachelaru, Supported Employment specialist with HAO, at the end of the first group meeting.

Through the exercises in this session, HAO specialists tried to: stimulate the self-determination of the person and their intrinsic motivation to start organizing their life; unlocking and disinhibiting them on some level; learning and accumulating new knowledge; acquisition, integration and use of discovered and rediscovered alternatives in order to help the young adult with disabilities evolve and develop.

Until now, 14 young adults with disabilities, beneficiaries of LEAD project, have participated in the vocational counseling programme developed by HAO team in Constanta.

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