John moved to the UK from Poland around ten years ago; at the time, he was married and had two children. A couple of years ago John’s marriage broke down – and over the past year he has been to court over the custody of his children. This was a very difficult time for John. About a year ago, John felt extremely depressed – and turned to alcohol to help him cope with day-to-day life. At this point, John knew things had taken a turn for the worst.
“Whilst in reality my life was a complete mess, on the surface I wore a mask to pretend everything was OK,” says John.
Each year, around one in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem. In England, one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, in any given week.
Going through financial documents at home, John came across paperwork from his insurance company – and noticed that he was entitled to a free support service as part of his policy.
John contacted MorganAsh, where he was put in touch with one of the in-house nurses, who offered him help and support. Using the Crisis Support service, John was given a shortlist of local cognitive behavioural therapists, from whom he then chose the one most appropriate for him. Says John, “I was given three different options of cognitive behavioural therapists in my local area; I felt I was in control of my situation, which made me feel more comfortable asking for help.”
John was put in touch with the therapist he had chosen. After a few sessions of therapy, John felt that his life was getting back on track.
The client’s name has been changed to ensure confidentiality.