When Gerry started working with Future Pathways, one of his goals was to make sense of his past in care. One of our Support Coordinators reflects on this journey.
Gerry struggled with feelings of depression and with managing feelings of anger and distress. This made Gerry feel uncomfortable in group settings, causing him to withdraw and isolate himself. His Support Coordinator referred him to the Anchor. Following assessment, the Anchor provided weekly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, followed by mindfulness and compassion focused therapy.
Gerry developed a positive rapport with the CBT practitioner, and he shared with us that he felt
comfortable and safe with them. When the Anchor’s support came ended, Gerry expressed sadness about this loss of support, but acknowledged that significant progress had been made.
“I noticed a big difference in how Gerry engaged with the world and those around him. Accessing psychological support gave Gerry some momentum to make further positive changes.”
Gerry reported feeling more self-confident after accessing this support. He had come to terms with his experiences in care and had been able to work through difficult feelings towards his family. Gerry learned about what triggered him and gained new skills to manage difficult feelings.
Accessing mental health support so swiftly also motivated Gerry to continue working on himself.
“It was amazing to see how effective the right support at the right time can be. Because he had a therapeutic outlet, Gerry and I could build on the momentum he had gained. When people cannot access psychological support, this can be very difficult.”
Gerry successfully applied for an apprenticeship. Whereas previously engaging with a group course would have been too challenging, Gerry could now apply the skills gained in therapy to meaningfully engage with his course and develop positive working relationships with others. This further increased Gerry’s confidence because he felt he could accomplish goals and be trusted by others. The work Gerry did with the Anchor also supported his other goals such as developing physical fitness and creating a supportive routine.
Gerry reviewed his support with his Support Coordinator. Together they agreed that Gerry had been able to achieve the goals he had set with Future Pathways, and Gerry felt able to move forwards, focusing on his apprenticeship, without Future Pathways support.
