The following are examples of strategies that may help individuals continue to rebuild their vocational identity: 

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Vocational Inventories & Assessments  

When individuals feel ready to enroll in employment services, having a clear sense of their vocational values, interests, skills, and aptitudes, along with documented assessment results, will help them and their supporters to advocate for employment options that are a good fit.  

 

Emphasize the importance of broad exploration and normalize doubt.  

Many individuals experience mental health-related career disruption in their teenage or young adult years, which is also a time when people are broadly exploring the world of work to hone their sense of where they belong in it. Individuals at this level may need time and space to “try on” different work settings and activities. Let them know it is okay for them to not know exactly what it is they would like to do.   

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(Re)Build the Career Narrative  

Despite the significant identity fragmentation that can follow a mental health-related vocational disruption, individuals still have histories of vocational experience. These experiences can be explored to help individuals identify identity strengths that they wish to emphasize and build upon. Activities such as My Career Story can be helpful. Individuals at this stage may also benefit from coaching around how to effectively communicate their career story to others, depending on the audience (example employers conducting a job interview or college admissions)