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| Things to Consider when Seeking Relationship Advice |
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I have worked with hundreds of people because I have been a social
worker for more than twenty years. I mainly work with children and
their families although I have been in charged of other tasks. However,
I began considering a career change about a year ago.
You see, I felt
that I was not as effective with people anymore. I was also getting
tired of budget issues and the ever changing laws that affect human
services. A few months ago, I responded to an interesting ad about
giving relationship advice on the Internet.
I supplied my resume online and I was contacted by a person that worked for the company after a couple of days. She explained that giving relationship advice was similar to call in radio shows. The difference was that I would be dealing with people through interactions on the Internet. Many people do not want to seek relationship advice on the air waves because they are afraid that someone will recognize their voice or their story.
They can remain anonymous if they seek advice on relationship issues through the Internet. She also informed me that part of my interview would be fielding two calls that wanted relationship advice. One of the calls would be a live chat room interaction on the Internet and the other one would be on the telephone.
A third person was listening in to evaluate my ability to interact with the people calling in and the quality of the advice I was able to give as I did the two calls. Fortunately, the observer recommended me for the job because he liked my phone interactions and typed responses. We made arrangements that I would start part-time so that I could keep my other job in case this did not work out. I was surprised by the number of people that turn to strangers for relationship advice. The people that are looking for tips and advice on the Internet are usually very rushed. They want a quick answer to their relationship issue. They also need long lasting solutions that will be easily implemented.
I always try to explain that relationship advice over the phone or Internet is very general and is not therapy. I was concerned at first that people would not get the level of service that they may need. I would give someone that I felt had needs that went beyond relationship advice, referral information to a mental health center.
I enjoyed giving out advice on relationship issues and could not believe the situations I was asked to counsel people on. This job turned out to be enjoyable, less stressful and quite rewarding.
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