Posted: Thursday, June 20, 2013

Rhode Island Public Radio recently spoke to Jim Greer, Clinical Director of The Providence Center’s Child and Family Services, on the mental health effects of long-term unemployment.

“People feel like they have lost their meaning in life,” says Greer. “I hear people complaining that they feel that they’re no longer of use, that they’re not valuable any longer. Many of them are parents and feel deeply ashamed that they are not able to care for their families in the ways they want to. People who’ve been in traditional ‘breadwinner’ roles finding themselves suddenly having to re-assess who they are.”