"I went from a tearful mess to a strong amazing person."

Hi There

I would usually say " Hi there..." and then the name you had used in your email.

But I really didn't feel it would be right to address you as " Hi there anxious lady "!!

From what you shared with us here it sounds like you have gained a lot and discovered that you are truly an amazing person!? Good for you - I am really pleased ( I am smiling as I type this too..)

People often find it hard to make that first step and ask for support or entering treatment but we also know that the turn around can often be rapid and astonishing.

By sharing your story it shows how people, regular, general people like you and me, can be faced with terrible struggles in our lives sometimes and we don't always know where to turn for help. A number of people reading this will, I'm sure, gain courage from your story and be able to make that step for themselves.

Being able to access an IAPT service such as ours is for many people the gateway into services that they are looking for so thank you so very much for sharing this with us.

Can I also add, if you haven't heard of it before, that you might like to check out the Recovery College website. This offers a great range of free courses and students can register on line or by calling for an appointment via a no fuss phone line.

Thank you once again from the whole team at Thurrock IAPT and Recovery college and we wish you all the very best for the (amazing!) future.

Paul