Published on: September 27, 2021
A young person speaks about how they were helped by the Compass Go… Mental Health Support Team in North East Lincolnshire.
I felt that nothing made me positive, I always had a negative mindset. Even when people introduced positive things nothing helped. I feel that this led to me having depression, anxiety and feeling paranoid. At a young age this isn’t a good way to think especially in teenage years as you are meant to be living life instead of surviving it and taking up lots of opportunities. I felt like I was surviving instead of living.
How were you helped?
I was helped by switching my mindset to positive and by learning new skills that I could use during school and after school. Instead of bottling it up and letting it build up and overflow, I felt I had someone to talk to that meant I avoided this. We worked on feeling low by looking at the activities I enjoy doing and planning these in. We looked at negative thoughts and how to challenge these. We created a ‘feel good list’, looked at worry management and we also looked at my circle of control.
How are you now?
I feel like now I am enjoying life, I go out and do things that make me happy instead of sitting at home and not talking to anyone. I am socialising, instead of dreading it. It felt strange to see how much progress I had made from the start, and I had not picked up on how I was feeling and how much it had impacted me. It made me feel really proud of myself and built my self-confidence in seeing the results. I felt like my mood wasn’t normal but now I do.
Would you recommend the service?
I would recommend the service. I feel like they are better than any other service as they are available and easy to access. They helped me by being there every week and being available through text. I didn’t feel left alone when things got difficult. I felt nervous at the start, but I felt that I could trust my worker and I felt comfortable.
Case worker, Jess Culham, compass Go… Education Mental Health Practitioner, says
“The young person engaged in seven sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy using the strategies discussed above. They engaged well in sessions and were committed to change, always using the strategies we learnt about.
“I have really enjoyed working with this young person and seeing the progress they have made. When we discussed at the end the progress, they had made it was heart-warming to see the young person feeling really proud of themselves. It was great to empower the young person to take charge of their own life and emotional wellbeing by giving them the skills they can use to do this. The young person was committed to make a change which was really helpful for our therapeutic journey.”
YP aged 12-15, case number 620