Stories

Aisha’s story

Aisha was struggling with severe anxiety and felt very isolated due to not speaking English. She was struggling to leave her home and to find the right support, which was having a severe impact on her mental wellbeing.

She needed a service which could provide support with interpreter assistance and the space and time to talk about her feelings. She also needed support in referring into other appropriate services.

We provided sessions with an interpreter and gave Aisha the time to talk about how she was feeling. We also referred her into our Trust Therapies service and gave her links to websites that had coping techniques in her own language, for when she was feeling overwhelmed. We encourage Aisha to feel more in control and to independently manage her wellbeing.

We referred into other local services, and she is now attending a support group and making new friends and has started to learn English.

The peer support worker shared some of their own personal experiences with anxiety which helped Aisha to feel heard, accepted and more supported. It gave her hope that things can improve.

Aisha is now better able to control her anxiety and wants to leave her home instead of isolating herself. She now has a daily routine in place, is sleeping better and spending more time with her family.

“The sessions have really helped me relax, as I have been able to say how I feel and in my own language with the help of the interpreter. I now feel more in control and have coping skills that I didn’t have before. I know where to go if I need support in the future and I am feeling hopeful for the future.”

If you need support from our HOPE service or any service please get in touch.

Amara’s story

When I approached The Cellar Trust, I was experiencing severe social anxiety and depression. It was difficult for me to face people. Everything started from a bad experience at work, and after that, I was afraid to go to jobs.

My support worker provided me with the help and guidance I needed to manage my social anxiety and depression and find employment. The one-to-one support made me feel comfortable with the person I was in contact with. This slow process helped me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings.

My support worker took the time to chat with me which made me feel more at ease. They guided me through the job application and interview process and introduced me to SmartWorks, which is a charity that helps unemployed women to get back into work by providing them with clothes and coaching.

Another thing that The Cellar Trust did that no one else could have done was to make me familiar with the places where I was going for interviews or to work which made me feel less alone and more confident. They also provided me with emotional support and practical advice, which was invaluable.

The Cellar Trust helped me to overcome my social anxiety and depression, find employment, and regain my confidence. I am so grateful for their support.

Find out how our Employment service could help you too.

Clara’s story

Clara came to us when she recognised a growing sense of low mood and feeling disconnected from her family. As a child, Clara had been orphaned and raised in care and had always struggled with aspects of her upbringing but kept busy as a way of coping. With age and health deterioration, she was finding it harder to cope with how she felt. She needed a space to offload what she called ‘baggage’, to improve her relationships with others and herself. Clara’s sessions with her therapist were an opportunity to share her life experiences and earliest memories and to feel validated and reassured.

As she explored these experiences and with use of reflection, Clara was able to become aware of how her past had impacted on how she struggled to show and accept positive emotions and feelings. With time and space to talk, she was able to accept how challenging her life had been through no fault of her own.

As a result, Clara was able to begin hugging her family and recognise how good this felt. She was able to identify how this was never taught to her via parental role models or personal experience in her past acknowledging that, until this point, she perhaps hadn’t known how to accept or show love.

At the end of our sessions, the client shared how our time together had helped her gain permission to be herself and felt more empowered to deal with the future.

Find out how our psychotherapies service, Trust Therapies, could help you.

Joel’s story

Joel was struggling with mental health problems alongside complex physical health issues. He is the main carer for his wife who also has complex physical health needs. They have a teenager at home with additional needs and they have not felt supported with this.

Joel lived and slept in the lounge and had not slept in a bed for about 7 years. As a full-time carer, he is often up during the night. His mental health was being affected by his inability to cope and lack of sleep. He often felt suicidal and would drive and park the car up just to get away from homelife.

When Joel came to us it was important for him to meet his support worker outside of the house to give him a break and to have some time out for himself. His Reach support worker met with him on a regular basis, signposting Joel for further support such Making Space Carers, men’s support groups such as Men’s Sheds, workshops, local churches with drop-in sessions so he can pop in for a chat and a drink. Joel also received information on autism support groups, seminars and parent support as well as other specialist support for his child.

“The service provided has been fantastic. I feel the 6 months has gone very quickly and I have appreciated the sessions to get out of the house, have someone neutral to talk to and with information given on groups and services. Her input has very much been appreciated, more than I can tell you. No amount of training would ever show or teach the compassion, understanding, and patience that I have received. For that I am truly grateful.”

Find out how our Reach service could help you.

Sophie’s story

In August 2020, Sophie was admitted to hospital after attempting to take her own life. Sophie struggled with her mental health since she was a child and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2019.

Following attempts to take her own life, hospital teams signposted Sophie to The Cellar Trust. She began weekly phone calls with peer support worker, Anthony. Anthony is part of our peer support team who work in local A&E departments, providing one-to-one support for people who are in emotional distress. We provide regular calls to our clients throughout their recovery and help them build a brighter, independent future. “My calls with Anthony were more like an informal chat, which I preferred to the interview-like counselling sessions that I’ve had before. I was having these weekly calls with Anthony while writing my dissertation for my Master’s degree. Anthony helped me get through some of the basic stuff in life so that I could focus on my dissertation.”

“Anthony helped me set small weekly goals such as sleeping, applying for jobs and going for a walk with my family, but we also set long-term goals to help me focus on the future. I know I can always call The Cellar Trust if I start to struggle again, they have become my safety net.” Since receiving support from The Cellar Trust, Sophie has graduated with a first-class Master’s degree and is applying for jobs that research and support people with mental health problems. “The calls with Anthony have helped bridge the gap between being in hospital and starting therapy. Without the support from The Cellar Trust, I genuinely don’t think I would be here.”

Dave’s story

Dave struggled to make decisions large and small and his social interactions were limited. With multiple ongoing health investigations, Dave was worried about all of them. His doctor referred him to Trust Therapies.

During his initial session he expressed his desire to repair his relationship with his mother which has deteriorated significantly recently. His therapist worked to help Dave to hear his own true authentic voice.

He would get quite annoyed when he talked about some weekly check in calls he received, when his therapist dug a bit deeper to find out why. He realised that the calls from the service were never at the time or day agreed. His repeated requests to stick to one time and day were not met. Dave realised that the net effect of the calls was always negative but had continued with the calls because he was told they would help. His therapist asked what he’d like to happen, he said he would like them to stop. After some discussion, he decided he would stop them as a trial. He found the new calmer, known routine really helped. This grew his confidence hugely and he started to think about changing other things he felt were difficult. With this new confidence, he started to take control of his life, rather than to defer to others.

His therapist also introduced the idea of autism, explaining some common autistic behaviours. He was very interested and got a book from the library to find out more. He felt it was a book written about him. Dave felt a huge release at the possibility he wasn’t always wrong, stupid, obsessive or overthinking. That there was a reason he thinks like he does. This caused his hypervigilance, noise sensitivity and sleeplessness to ease.

Moving forward, Dave was able to question his use of video games and he realised he was always unsettled for a few hours after playing. We discussed what else he might do instead – he decided on going for daily walks. He noticed within 24 hours he was less irritable, slower to anger and able to work through unexpected things surprisingly easily.

With the support of his therapist and his new found confidence, Dave was becoming his own advocate and believing that he is the expert on what works for him. He has been to the doctors less, used First Response less and he has techniques to calm himself when he is overwhelmed.

His relationship with his mother continues to improve. Independently, he has created a mood indicator with his mum. He feels validated and understands himself more.

Dave said “I got more progress than I expected and I have ever had before”.