Counseling

Yuta Sakamoto was exhausted from selling home-improvement projects, including the boss’s demand that he help clean up at renovation sites on weekends. One day, he mustered his courage and announced he wanted to quit. But his boss warned him he would be ruining his future, and Sakamoto shrank back.

Then a friend proposed a solution. Sakamoto didn’t have to confront the boss again—he could hire someone to do it for him. After sending $200 and his case details to a quitting agency, he was finally a free man.

“I would have been mentally broken if I had continued,” says 24-year-old Sakamoto, who found a new job as a salesman at a printing firm.

A labor shortage in Japan means underpaid or overworked employees have other options nowadays. The problem: this famously polite country has a lot of people who hate confrontation. Some worry they’ll cause a disruption by leaving, or they dread the idea of co-workers gossiping about what just transpired in the boss’s office.

Enter a company called Exit. Toshiyuki Niino co-founded it to help people quit after experiencing his own difficulties in leaving jobs. “Americans may be surprised, but I was too shy or too scared to say what I think,” says Niino, 34. “Japanese are not educated to debate and express opinions.” Exit now handles more than 10,000 cases a year in which its staff quits on behalf of clients.

Possible Preaching Angles:

There are several approaches you might take with this story: 1) Fear and Courage – Learning how to overcome fear with faith and courage (2 Tim. 1:7); 2) Work Ethic – Finding a career that fits with our skills and well-being (Col. 3:23); Wisdom and Guidance – Sakamoto’s friend suggesting the use of a quitting agency illustrates seeking counsel from others when making decisions (Prov. 11:14).

The world began a weekly group therapy session with Frazier Crane thirty years ago. This spin-off character from Cheers played by Kelsey Grammer, emerged as an iconic counselor who masterfully blended humor and wisdom. While Grammer is an actor by trade, his years playing a therapist has given him lasting insights into the human psyche.

In an interview with The Guardian, Grammer was asked how he felt attitudes towards therapy has changed evolved over the last 30 years. After wrestling with the question for a few moments, he concluded with this:

God is probably the best therapist, without wanting to get on too big of a preachy soapbox. I just think if you have faith, you’re probably one step ahead of the storm of everyday life today. There is insanity everywhere. It’s a global phenomenon. It seems to be cooked into our governments. It’s a difficult road to navigate on your own.

Young or old, there are times when all of us need a mother. Like when you get sick for the first time living on your own. Or when you're going through a horrible break up. Or when you're faced with the task of moving and packing up years' worth of stuff.

But sometimes, mom is 500 miles away or prefers a "tough love" approach—which you just can't deal with. Enter "Rent A Mom." For around $40 an hour, you can have your very own mother figure help you make a tough decision, provide emotional support, or make you a homemade pumpkin pie when you're spending the holidays alone. No judgement included.

Nina Keneally, 63, of Brooklyn, is the mother for hire. She came up with the idea for the service when she realized she was dishing out free advice to youngsters in her yoga class. "I've noticed that a lot of young people in the neighborhood wanted to talk to me about what was going on in their lives," Keneally said.

As a mother of two adults, and one who is familiar with the New York City area, she says she can help Millennials navigate the harsh waters of life as a young person in the big city. As she puts it on her website, you can call her "When you need a mom, just not your mom."

Editor’s Note: This service continues in operation as of 2024. You can access the website here