"His support and guidance have been invaluable to me"

I have always struggled with my weight and became very depressed last year as I was morbidly obese and increasingly negative about my future (I am also partially disabled due primarily to stenosis).

My GP suggested I self-refer to the IAPT and after some false starts I was very grateful to be allocated a counsellor, Tom. I guess I really didn't know quite what to expect but over the weeks he really proved a massive help to me, not only largely lifting my depression but also significantly helping me to think around my situation and my views of things and providing real, practical ways to help me identify and deal with some of the real causes of my problems. I'll never really be able to thank him enough for all the help he has given me.

Of course I still have some issues and a lot of work to do, but his support and guidance have been invaluable to me in helping me see some things in my life in different ways and encouraging me to find ways to build on positives and mitigate negatives. I have just had my last session with him and although I already feel a sense of loss, I also feel a sense of confidence and progress to carry me forward which he has massively helped to imbue in me. It may sound a somewhat weird thing to say, but I have enjoyed our sessions together - his friendliness, his insights, his prompting, his supportiveness, all have contributed to making me not only feel better about myself in the short term but have some tools and ideas to carry myself forward in the longer term. 

I am so grateful not only to Tom personally but to the service overall for being there and helping me. I would absolutely recommend anyone who is struggling with any mental health issues to contact the service. I was in a pretty dark place before and this has really helped me to turn things around  in ways beyond measure. If you have doubts, put them aside and ring.