Finding work with support: Clive’s employment story
Finding Employment: The light at the end of a long, dark tunnel
By Salvation Army Employment Plus · Originally published 30 September 2020
Original article
As a proud member of The Salvation Army network and one of the largest government-funded employment service providers in Australia, Salvation Army Employment Plus aims to change lives and communities through the power of employment.
Pushing through the dark times and taking a chance on a new career has certainly worked for 59-year-old Clive, who has suffered with crippling anxiety and depression for the last decade.
In 2010, life changed dramatically for Clive. After his businesses failed, his life went in a downward spiral. Nearing bankruptcy, out of work and extremely stressed, Clive was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression.
He struggled for years and the pressure only continued to mount. When Clive was diagnosed with prostate cancer he became suicidal. He needed hope and a way out of the dark tunnel he had found himself in.
[Clickability update, October 2026: Employment assistance does not replace mental health care. Healthdirect lists current help pathways: call 000 for immediate danger, or Lifeline on 13 11 14 to speak to someone now.]
Clive was referred to The Salvation Army Employment Plus earlier this year and began working with his job coach, Paul, to piece his life back together. They decided that physical job might best suit Clive to help him gain back his independence and potentially also alleviate some of his mental health challenges.
What's the role of a job coach?
A job coach identifies vocational and non-vocational barriers that impact participant job readiness. Simply, they find out what's standing in a participant's way to employment and they help mitigate them.
They use a strengths-based approach job coaches work with participants to overcome or minimise the impacts of identified barriers and provide tools and training to assist with resumes, confidence, motivation and skills building.
Once a participant is ‘work ready’, job coaches will actively work with you to secure sustained employment.
How did a job coach change Clive's life?
Through further discussions and meeting with a secondary job coach, Stacey, Clive was referred and accepted for the traffic control training. And there he was, on the eve of his sixth decade, digging deep to push himself to learn new skills and find the light at the end of the tunnel.
It wasn’t easy and nagging doubts nearly caused him to pull out of the traffic control course, but with the encouragement of his job coach he completed the course, which delivered a range of benefits far beyond a qualification.
Not only does he have a new career to look forward to, but the course has given him motivation to keep going with life and to focus on improving his prospects. One of the best things to come from the course for Clive was meeting others and fostering new friendships.
With his training finished and his placement hours completed, Clive has now started work. He is excited to be starting a new career and says his confidence has returned.
The positive changes have not just impacted Clive, but also his wife who has stood by him through his struggles and feels incredibly lucky to ‘have her husband back’.
Clickability editorial update: October 2026
Use the story to ask what support would make work manageable
Identify what you want from work and what made previous attempts difficult. Ask an employment service how it will help with those barriers, the pace of the search and support after starting. One person’s success with a physical job does not establish that the same role would suit you.
Keep health support in place while exploring work. NDIS employment guidance and Inclusive Employment Australia describe different support pathways. Ask which service is relevant and what it will provide before committing to a course or job.
Questions readers ask
Does this story guarantee that work will improve mental health?
No. It is an individual historical account, not a treatment claim.
Where can I find current employment support information?
Check Inclusive Employment Australia and the NDIA’s employment guidance for the different pathways. Official guidance
Find disability support for your work goals
Describe the services you need through Clickability. Compare relevant experience and reviews, then confirm whether a provider can help with your work-related priorities.
