"Excellent care"

I suffer from a severe chronic mental illness. I have struggled for most of my life to hold down a job due to this illness. I have been referred to a few employment services over the years but none of them had really understood the difficulties I was experiencing and adapted their approach to help me. I had lost patience with the value of this kind of service. 

However, my experience over the last 3 years with Stuart, an employment support worker attached to the Rushcliffe LMHT, has shown me that this can be a brilliant service. If done correctly, it can enable people with mental health difficulties to gain confidence and a sense of purpose through work.

Stuart was patient and understanding, he took his time and didn't rush into things, this enabled me to gain confidence. He allowed me to focus on the treatment I was receiving for my mental health condition but thought laterally and organised a work placement to begin as my treatment ended. 

The support he then continued to offer whilst I was doing my placement and through the job applications and interviews that followed was so useful and reassuring. He would always gauge what was helpful for me at that time, i.e. we would often go for a walk on appointments which was extremely helpful for my mental health as well as useful for planning for employment.

I now have a part time job - my first paid employment in over a decade - and I'm enjoying it. This is thanks to Stuart.