Katie was referred to us early January 2022, she lives with her 2 daughters and lacks confidence due to mental abuse during her marriage. She says she is a binge drinker due to anxiety and depression and won’t answer the phone to unknown numbers.
Before we were able to make contact we sent a message agreeing a time for an initial call, this meant that Katie was prepared for the call and able to pick up. We also agreed via text that if her anxiety got the better of her and she was unable to physically pick up the phone we would keep trying.
During the initial phone call, although notably shaken Katie was very open and honest on the phone. She really wanted to get out and about again but didn’t know how to get over the massive hurdles that she faced. She told us about her love of upcycling and crafting. We spoke about small steps back to community involvement but this seemed so far off as her anxiety has kept her in the house for such a long time. We referred her to the Friendship call project and again agreed procedures with her so she knew in the first instance who would be calling. We also offered her the assistance of our Making Our Money Go Further & Energy Know How projects, making sure that procedures were in place in an effort to reduce anxiety and distress. As the initial call came to a conclusion Katie was already sounding more confident and was happy accepting help.
Our Volunteer has established contact and called Katie at an agreed time each week. She has gone from strength to strength, she is now answering the phone to unknown numbers and getting the help she needs. Even after 1 week the difference was remarkable, it was like talking to a totally different person. Our volunteer has helped her through some tough situations by just listening. Katie recently had a massive panic attack in the supermarket but the help and support she received this just became a minor setback. Katie has received help from our other projects and now feels less worried about her financial situation and better equipped to manage.
Moving forward Katie has now found a friend who goes for walks with her. She has talked about a past love of open water swimming and is looking into this as something else she can do.
The transformation has been unbelievable, from a frightened, anxious, worried & isolated individual this lady is finding her wings, dusting off her crown and is ready to face the world head on once more.