[kat522]

I'm moving soon and have to go through getting a job all over again. I'm not looking forward to all the interviews I'll have to go through, but that's another story. I'm only looking for a part-time job because I'm going to college full-time, and one of the few places that offer part-timers health insurance is Starbucks.

It would be nice to have health insurance so I can see doctors and therapists, but the customer service aspect of Starbucks has me worried. I worked in a bakery for 2 years and it was hell every single day. I had never been more depressed in my life. I never got used to speaking to customers and would always freeze up and cry whenever they'd yell at me or be rude. Honestly, working in a customer service job hasn't seemed to help my social anxiety at all. It just made me bitter. It made me hate people. It made me not want to open my mouth because I'm never sure the type of response I'm going to get from customers.

So do I take a job at Starbucks, constantly contemplate on killing myself, but have the insurance to go see doctors and therapists? Or do I find a customer-free job that won't stress me out every day but then not have insurance? I know there are cheap clinics out there, but I don't know how good of therapists they have. Does anyone have experience with clinics?

Any advice would very much be appreciated.

[CosmicRose]

...What good would having a therapist be if you wanted to kill yourself every day going to a job that wasn't good for you? I've been looking at a lot of job postings and I can honestly say that I've seen other jobs, other than Starbucks, that offer health insurance. You need to go look at industries that are notorious for providing the best benefits for their workers, and honestly they aren't customer service jobs like Starbucks or bakeries.

You should look at part time jobs at schools, libraries, part time government jobs like office administration or postal service, you should look at other companies that offer part time work plus benefits - they're out there you just have to know where to look and narrow down your search. Trust me, if Starbucks can do it, other better companies can too, and you won't have to sacrifice your mental health for the sake of your therapist.

[blueredgrey]

Ow dear....that's like saying, I am forced to drink poison, but lucky me, I have a doctor who can help me after drinking the poison.

I'm not sure how Insurance works in your country, but, if you are not happy doing it and on top of, it makes you miserable, then my advice to you would be not to do it.

Maybe you should explore more. Maybe talk to insurance customer care about how you can get insurance, maybe they can suggest industries where you can get a job, which will cover insurance.

Maybe try exploring outsourced online counseling, which maybe affordable without insurance.

Everyone needs insurance, but maybe there are better ways to get it than going through hell everyday for it.

Good luck!

[Little Lulu]

I worked in an income-based clinic for a number of years and the therapists they employed did not seem impressive to me. There may be more options out there than you might realize. There is one therapist in our area who works on a cash only basis and charges a flat $65/hour. I hear she is excellent. There is another licensed counselor in my area who is also a nun and she works on a 'donation only' basis. She also has an excellent reputation.

Maybe you need to get to your new location, start your job and health care search and it will become clear to you what you need to do. Moving is always such a stressful time.

[CosmicRose]

Wow $65 an hour? Makes me want to become a therapist lol

[EsotericNonsense]

I pay my therapist $100 an hour, and I chose her because she was cheap.

[Yoda]

Could you exclusively work as a barista at Starbucks so you have less interaction with customers?

[Koko2]

Why not get Obamacare insurance sponsored by your state?

[kat522]

Originally Posted by Koko2

Why not get Obamacare insurance sponsored by your state?

I definitely would if I could. I don't make enough to get any help paying for it, so I would have to get medicaid. I live in a Republican state... they're not ever going to expand medicaid. So you have to be disabled, pregnant, or retirement age to get medicaid.

Originally Posted by Yoda

Could you exclusively work as a barista at Starbucks so you have less interaction with customers?

I wish :/ They move you around, and they always start people on the register since that's the easiest (for normal people anyway).

Originally Posted by Little Lulu

I worked in an income-based clinic for a number of years and the therapists they employed did not seem impressive to me. There may be more options out there than you might realize. There is one therapist in our area who works on a cash only basis and charges a flat $65/hour. I hear she is excellent. There is another licensed counselor in my area who is also a nun and she works on a 'donation only' basis. She also has an excellent reputation.

Maybe you need to get to your new location, start your job and health care search and it will become clear to you what you need to do. Moving is always such a stressful time.

Thanks for the advice! I'm moving to a rather large area so I'm somewhat overwhelmed by all the options. This is both a good and bad thing. At least I have options now. Do you have any tips on finding the cheaper therapists or is it simply a matter of calling around? I've found that therapists always want to see me at least once a week, but I even at $65, I can't afford once a week.

Originally Posted by blueredgrey

Ow dear....that's like saying, I am forced to drink poison, but lucky me, I have a doctor who can help me after drinking the poison.
I'm not sure how Insurance works in your country, but, if you are not happy doing it and on top of, it makes you miserable, then my advice to you would be not to do it.
Maybe you should explore more. Maybe talk to insurance customer care about how you can get insurance, maybe they can suggest industries where you can get a job, which will cover insurance.
Maybe try exploring outsourced online counseling, which maybe affordable without insurance.
Everyone needs insurance, but maybe there are better ways to get it than going through hell everyday for it.
Good luck!

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I live in the US, so private health insurance is just way too expensive for me to be able to afford. All full-time employees gets health insurance here, but I'm putting myself through college so I don't have the degree/experience nor time for a full-time job. There are some others that offer part-time employees health insurance, but more and more companies keep dropping that benefit.

Originally Posted by CosmicRose

...What good would having a therapist be if you wanted to kill yourself every day going to a job that wasn't good for you? I've been looking at a lot of job postings and I can honestly say that I've seen other jobs, other than Starbucks, that offer health insurance. You need to go look at industries that are notorious for providing the best benefits for their workers, and honestly they aren't customer service jobs like Starbucks or bakeries.

You should look at part time jobs at schools, libraries, part time government jobs like office administration or postal service, you should look at other companies that offer part time work plus benefits - they're out there you just have to know where to look and narrow down your search. Trust me, if Starbucks can do it, other better companies can too, and you won't have to sacrifice your mental health for the sake of your therapist.

Can you give me some advice on how to find those jobs? I haven't had much luck finding very many. I know Whole Foods does, but their insurance doesn't cover mental health (the one thing I need insurance for, of all things). Lowes and Walmart just got rid of their health insurance for part-timers. With Home Depot, the only job I qualify for is cashiering. Staples is all customer service. Costco is all customer service. These are all the ones that I know of. I've looked at school jobs and such, but they normally don't give you any information about benefits. Maybe I'm going about it all wrong though?

[CosmicRose]

All the places you listed are heavily retail customer service related jobs. I would look more into hospitals, schools (from daycare, elementary to college level), privately owned businesses might offer better employee benefits packages but that's a hit or miss, government jobs (just google your government jobs website in your state or state jobs website near your location). There are entry level jobs in all of these sectors. Usually they will be administration, clerk, records, office, receptionist, patient intake, secretary, filing, desk jobs, etc. but they will be better than working at Costco or something.
Look at online job posting websites like Indeed for current job openings. Look into entry level positions at reputable places of employment like the sheriff's department, a community college, a hospital, a private doctor's office, a library, etc...those are the only ones I can think of right now. Most of these jobs will tell you if they provide full benefits.