By Paula Day

As the number of persons seeking jobs increases, the Job Network of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Sandy Springs continues to expand, offering support and assistance to the unemployed.

Recently the network began a spouse survival class in conjunction with its stress management session. The class for spouses of those looking for work emphasizes coping and communication skills.

“Feelings of shame, anger, frustration, guilt and fear are predominant in a time of unemployment,” explained Sara Latz, the volunteer who conducts the class.

“Couples have to keep communication going.”

This group, which is open, is currently made up of wives of job-seeking men.

Women must let go of control over the process their husbands go through in looking for a job, Mrs. Latz pointed out. They need to be supportive, good listeners, and also to take care of themselves. This means exercising, eating wisely, recreating and getting enough rest, all stress management techniques.

Marie Gale, a member of St. Andrew’s parish in Roswell, helps with the spouse support group. The Gales participated in St. Jude’s network 10 years ago when Paul Gale lost his job.

“It was a painful experience,” Marie Gale recalls. “Since our lives have been put together again I wanted to give something back in return. There are so many people who need support and encouragement.”

Marilyn Nash, a member of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Alpharetta, has taken part in the spouse support group sessions since they began in early January. At that time the stress on her marriage caused by her husband Mike’s unemployment was worsening.

“We needed to do something,” Mrs. Nash recalls. “I was not happy. Our marriage wasn’t what I wanted. There was no communication and that was not good for us or our two babies.”

She attended a St. Jude’s job network meeting with Mike intending to sit in on the session in support of him but found she needed support for herself.

“I was able to talk. It felt so good to hear Marie (Gale) say, ‘We’ve all been there.’ Our marriage has turned around since then. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. We were at the braking point.”

Mrs. Nash notices a change in her husband and believes that is partly because she no longer “shows him a negative face.” There are ripple effects. Job interviews have increased and “doors are opening,” because her husband’s self-confidence has increased. Before “neither of us was accomplishing anything except causing a lot of pain and a lot of anger,” she explained.

St. Jude’s network meets every Monday from 7:15 to 10 p.m. Meetings are loosely structured. On their first evening, newcomers are oriented to the support group and pinpoint their needs.

Returnees select from a menu of topics according to their interests. These could include help in identifying job goals, learning resume techniques, organizing the job search and polishing interview skills through role playing.

The network does not list jobs. Rather, in the process of sharing, searchers may learn of work possibilities through word of mouth.

The “granddaddy” of Atlanta are job networks, St. Jude’s has been offering support and assistance for more than 10 years. Network founder Jim Knocke and his wife Trudy have helped similar programs get off the ground.

The approach is positive, Trudy Knocke stresses. She says it is encouraging that recently the number of people coming back to report they have succeeded in their search has increased. Telling others, “Hey, I found something, keep on trying,” is what job seekers need to hear, she said.