Stories 

Elizabeth* was feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and having difficulty dealing with her current feelings and emotions. She was referred to the Community Wellbeing Service (CWS) by a mental health practitioner at her GP surgery. Elizabeth was suspected of having ADHD and was asked to complete an assessment. Whilst waiting to be picked up by a specialised therapy service after her assessment, Elizabeth was referred to CWS to learn some practical tips and coping mechanisms she could implement.

Elizabeth felt overwhelmed by work pressure and constantly worried when outside of work. nable to determine the exact cause of her feelings, Elizabeth was unsure how to deal with them without feeling worse. Elizabeth also realised that it had started affecting her well-being at work, as she would become anxious and irritable about upcoming meetings or when put in new situations. 

Her CWS adviser provided Elizabeth with a variety of toolkits that she could work on in the next sessions; she preferred to talk them through in the sessions as well as practice them on her own. The toolkits she worked on were exercises based on relaxation and mindfulness techniques, and the anxiety toolkits which helped her identify her triggers and as a result, learn helpful and unhelpful coping behaviour.

Sahar, her CWS advisor comments:

Being able to have these sessions with Elizabeth was crucial in assisting her to not only develop helpful tips, but in also identifying triggers and determining how to cope with them. It provided her with a great sense of motivation and positive outlook on her situation. She was engaging and willing to cooperate with me throughout the sessions, which is considered a key factor in our person-centred approach. 

By the end of the sessions, Elizabeth was able to identify the triggers for her anxiety and was ready to put into practice the helpful coping mechanisms she developed. Elizabeth also made a plan for how she will better cope with her symptoms and emotions from now on, feeling more positive about the future.

Elizabeth reflects:

I have learned new coping mechanisms to be able to deal with problems well. I was feeling a bit anxious and nervous before starting the first session, and that is mainly because I did not know what to expect. But now, I feel much better as you have been very nice to me and everything worked well.

*pseudonym and stock image used 

Mark* was losing hope, felt lost and in despair not knowing what support or help was available to him. By chance, he enquired at his local pharmacy whilst picking up his medication and was connected to the mental health team at his GP surgery and a referral to the Community Wellbeing Service was made.  

Having to take a break from work due to physical health issues, Mark was struggling to deal with the changes, his pain levels and was experiencing social isolation. He’d stopped engaging in his usual hobbies and was feeling low in mood and lacking motivation.

Before the first session Mark felt apprehensive, he commented:

I felt beyond help, but this went out the window after the first session.

During his first session, Mark had the opportunity to sit down with the Community Wellbeing Advisor and together they reviewed his current situation and decide on some goals. Tools were introduced in stages, slowly building his confidence and hope.

It was important to acknowledge the challenges Mark had faced and how much life had changed for him, with that acceptance he was able to look at what he could do to move forwards.

Examples of the tools the Community Wellbeing Service uses to support their beneficiaries like Mark include, observing your thoughts, keeping a gratitude diary and using a weekly planner. These tools helped Mark gain perspective and control of his situation.

Mark observes:

Looking back, for me it was the flexibility of the tools, and the pace of the appointments, it felt like it was adapted around me.

By the end of the sessions, Mark had created a list of healthy distractions for bad pain days and a list of activities for when he was mobile. He had started to engage in his previous hobbies, one of which included a social group.

At the end of our sessions, he had plans and support in place to gain new employment to suit his needs and long term goals for his hobbies.

Mark reflects on the support he received:

I feel empowered, more relaxed, stronger, able to tackle the daily challenges and at ease with my health conditions. I feel more personable, and wanting to be around others.

Hina, Mark’s CW Lead adds:

I found being a soundboard for Mark was key in him finding strength and motivation in dealing with the changes of the last few years. Introducing him to information and the link between mental and physical health was a turning point and allowed him to progress and manage his wellbeing with an holistic view. He engaged well with all the tools and by the end was adapting them to suit him best, which is what we encourage our beneficiaries to do.

*Pseudonym and stock image used

Deepak is 48 year old and from Charnwood. He was experiencing a sense of hopelessness and had been struggling with suicidal ideations for months. He was also facing uncharacteristic bouts of rage and anger that interfered with his ability to hold down a job. Despite experiencing a difficult and abusive childhood, Deepak had never sought or received support with his mental health previously. 

He realised he needed support and self-referred to the Supported Self-Help service. Deepak was apprehensive about the service at first, and wasn’t sure it was going to be useful for him but he also felt driven to find strategies that worked for him and was incredibly committed to the process throughout. 

He found the workbooks and worksheets helpful, he comments: 

It made me take a step back and look at the overview of the situation.

Deepak found using the P.O.W.E.R (pause, observe, weigh, experience and review) technique especially helpful and found that he was able to start implementing it quickly. The P.O.W.E.R technique allowed Deepak to focus on his patterns of thinking and behaviour and decide how he wanted to proceed, rather than acting from a place of anxiety or anger and later regretting his actions. 

Isobel, Deepak’s Supported Self Help Practitioner added: 

It allowed him to improve his mood without the use of medication, which was something that was really important to him personally.

Towards the end of his Supported Self Help sessions, Deepak found out he’d gotten a job that he’d applied for a while before, and was excited to get going. He was confident he could use the tools we’d worked on to make sure he was as successful as possible. 

Deepak concludes:  

Try it, don’t dismiss it. Don’t be apprehensive. Give it a go, be fully invested into the whole self-help kinda thing. Keep going, keep at it. You may get some blips, some peaks and troughs, you may feel better but keep at it. 

Stock image used 

Emma is a college student and works part-time. She referred herself to the Supported Self Help Programme as she was experiencing anxiety and having panic attacks, which was affecting her at work.

Emma remembers:

“I was struggling badly and needed support quickly, I didn’t want to have to wait months and months for support.”

With her mum’s support, Emma searched online and discovered the Supported Self Help (SSH) Programme through LLR Mind, deciding it was worth a try. SSH is a free, one-on-one, six-week guided self-help programme.

She initially felt a little nervous because Emma didn’t 100% know what I was doing, but after the first session, Emma felt comfortable and safe and that she could trust her practitioner.

The SSH resources and extra information were beneficial to Emma. By reading the information in the documents and completing the workbook, Emma was able to find out more about her anxiety and effective coping strategies.

Emma remarks:

I would recommend the service and encourage others to give it a go and see if it helps. It worked for me and I now have the tools and strategies that I can use in the future.

By completing the SSH Programme, Emma gained insight into her emotions and developed strategies to support herself. She also feels empowered to educate those around her if she encounters someone experiencing similar feelings. It has ultimately given Emma ways to cope with her anxiety and continues to help her wellbeing.

Dipti, Emma’s SSH practitioner adds:

Emma has made great progress though the SSH Programme by engaging with the materials and putting a lot of effort in to trying the different strategies and exercises. She has worked hard to help herself and improve her mental wellbeing which has been great to see.

Stock image used