"Thank you for helping me start my journey"

Although I had taken the first step by calling One Recovery High Wycombe to obtain the help I needed for my alcohol addiction, I didn't feel comfortable talking about it to a complete stranger on the phone, the person reassured me they were there to help, not judge

I was given an appointment with Lauren who conducted my assessment; what a lovely soft spoken enthusiastic person. I was in a very bad place at times, I kept drifting into my thoughts only hearing parts of the conversation, my stress levels were high. I wasn't convinced I was doing the right thing being there. I had to ask Lauren to repeat to repeat questions over and over again which she did willingly and kept reassuring me and making sure she wasn't going too fast or if I wanted to take a break

I had mentioned to Lauren I was dyslexic, as the paperwork was being filled out. She never rushed me into completing the forms, instead she was patient, demonstrated empathy, encouragement and was willing to explain any parts of paperwork/conversation which took place regarding the One Recovery programme to me and the best part of our appointment was I felt I wasn't being judged. I felt supported by Lauren and I felt she really wanted me to do well on the programme

Since the assessment, I have had little contact with Lauren, apart from a few programmes which I have now completed. If I am waiting in the reception area and Lauren walks past, she always greets me and asks if I have been seen by the reception team and always shows interest in my progress at One Recovery

I believe if my interview hadn't gone well, I wouldn't have started my journey with One Recovery High Wycombe; I felt embarrassed, upset and very stressed but when I came out of the appointment, I felt less stressed and couldn't wait to give the programme a go

Thank you Lauren, for helping me start my journey