The interrupted career group: a preliminary report

This paper reports on the Interrupted Career Group, a therapy group for individuals whose professional and personal lives have drastically changed due to psychiatric illness and whose attempts to resume a career or other meaningful activities have been unsuccessful. Thirty-two persons with interrupted careers were asked to specify and pursue a vocational, educational, or volunteer track that integrated previous skills and activities with their present life situation and psychiatric limitations. They were also encouraged to discuss feelings of envy, shame, inferiority, rage, and humiliation associated with their interruption or activated in their new pursuits. Twenty-two of the participants effected change by utilizing the group to discuss feelings and efforts connected to resuming an integrated track. Such changes were seen equally in vocational/educational/volunteer activities and emotional functioning, or more in emotional functioning than in vocational/educational/volunteer activities. Ten participants did not show change; they were too psychiatrically disabled, lacked adequate motivation, or were unable to process affects related to actual pursuit of changes and integration. An interactive group process focusing on feelings of shame, envy, rage, inferiority, and humiliation related to experiences of an interrupted career can contribute to improved emotional and vocational functioning.