To mark World Mental Health Day, we are reflecting on some good news from across our services, where our customers have overcome mental health barriers, and significantly improved their personal circumstances.

Natalie’s story

Natalie started the Work & Health Programme in need of support with her depression and social anxiety. She struggled to meet new people and, initially, she did not want to do any group activities online or even one-to-one with a counsellor. Natalie was advised of the Hope Programme, which is self-guided mental health support. She liked the sound of this and completed the programme. Following this, the next step was to build up her confidence.

Natalie was very shy about attending her Work & Health Programme appointment, and brought her father to the meeting for support. At first, Natalie was apprehensive, but agreed to work with her Support Manager to build her confidence. For the next meeting, she was asked her if it would be OK for her parent to sit in the waiting area during the meeting. She did this and was really proud, as was her mother who cried with happiness after seeing her come out of the meeting smiling.

At the most recent meeting, Natalie drove herself into town and attended her meeting alone. This is a huge step for her, and she has now agreed to do an online group mental health course with Mid Kent Mind to work more on social anxiety and coping with difficulties. She is also now considering doing a teaching assistant qualification.

Seeing the progress she has made so far has shown what can be achieved on the Work & Health programme and the great organisations we work alongside.

The Work and Health Programme is a Welfare to Work programme commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions. It is designed to improve employment outcomes for people with health conditions or disabilities.

Grace’s story

Grace is a customer on our First Steps To Success programme in Ipswich, she is in her early twenties and has a moderate learning disability, depression, social anxiety and has been living with chronic pain most of her life.

Grace had volunteered for the last few years in an administrative and reception environment, and really enjoyed this type of role but wanted to find a permanent paid role in a friendly company, either in administration or care. Grace had previously been invited to interview for several suitable roles but felt unable to attend due to her anxiety. As a result, Grace then felt unable to apply for future positions at these companies, which limited her options.

After a Zoom appointment with her Employment Advisor, Angela, a plan was discussed to support and overcome her barriers and anxieties about attending job interviews. Grace also worked with Angela to create her CV and apply for suitable job opportunities.
With Angela’s support, Grace was also able to work on goal setting and aspirations.  Many of their sessions were focused on interviews and Grace began to build her confidence. When a role that she really wanted finally became available, she applied for it and was offered the position that afternoon!
We are delighted that Grace has now been employed within an administrative setting for over four months.

First Steps to Success Ipswich is a person-centred employment programme, dedicated in supporting disabled adults with Autism and/or mild to moderate Learning Disabilities with a range of wellbeing and employability skills.