"From an addicted self-employed author to hopeful employment candidate working with career support."

I am a qualified nurse, level 3 barber and a published author. The latter is my current occupation after having to leave nursing due to drug addiction when I was much younger.

I have reached a position in my recovery where I am stable and able to use the skills I possess to find a part time role working for a company while my publications are written, edited and released. I feel this is naturally the next step in my recovery and a move back into society. 

I have been working with a great guy named James. His position in CGL is career support for those wanting to re enter employment. James has been absolutely wonderful to work with. He is naturally interested in people's stories and current situations, which for a start makes for a great working relationship. James' understanding of matters surrounding addiction and the life of an addict enables him to take an holistic approach to his work and thus tailoring the way he works with me to meet my individual needs.

James goes about his work with compassion and professionalism. He is extremely knowledgeable about current trends in employment, which is priceless to a person such as myself who have been out the game for a little while. I have been working with him for a few weeks now and my confidence and self worth surrounding employment has increased exponentially. His approach can be considered as Orem' s theory of self-help. A theory I believe to be pivotal in the health and social care sector and especially regarding addiction treatment and subsequent rehabilitation. This is a gold standard approach which has aided me immensely in many facets of my life and drug rehabilitation. 

James also understands greatly where his intervention is best required, for example working on my confidence and knowing how to approach potential employers best considering my history with addiction and gaps in employment. 

Myself and James have been, and plan to again, go round businesses in Nottingham city centre, introducing ourselves, explaining a bit about myself and my circumstances and leaving them with an up to date and an effective CV (which James kindly proof read, amended and condensed) to provide me with the best opportunity possible to be considered for a role that I will enjoy and thrive in.  

I would like to use this space to complement James on his hard work, empathetic nature and knowledge. Simply put, without James, I was struggling to re enter the work place and I would be still stuck in this position most likely. With James' excellent skill set and support, I feel well equipped to progress to the next stage of rehabilitation-employment. Both myself and my fiancée would like to thank him and CGL for his ongoing work and we cannot praise him enough. Thanks, dude. You're the man.