One Client's Story
I have used CounsellingGALE for 11 months after moving into the Gairloch area in December 2021. I have been struggling greatly for several years with my mental wellbeing, experiencing regular long periods of depressed moods, negative thought patterns, and recurrent suicidal ideation. This seriously affected all aspects of my life, and I felt completely stuck in this mindset. I felt heartbreaking emotional pain almost every day. I felt like I was unable to enjoy life.
Extremely long waiting lists for NHS counselling, and the high cost of private therapy, is a massive deterrent in seeking help. These barriers dissuaded me from pursuing counselling for years, as I believed it was pointless to even try.
Finding counselling through GALE, which, in contrast to the above, is a local and quickly accessible service, has changed my life so rapidly in less than a year. Working with my counsellor has helped me completely change my way of thinking and provided me with a number of tools and coping mechanisms that have drastically improved my quality of life.
I was in such a dark place that I truly didn’t believe there was any way I could improve my mental health. Accessing the GALE service quickly and easily, through one email and then immediately being able to schedule a session, was the critical factor in allowing me to commit to getting better. Furthermore, being able to access regular sessions with my counsellor has been so crucial for steady improvement and has resulted in a continuous accumulation of small steps that have led to huge overall changes in my health and wellbeing.
The benefits I have gained from using this service cannot be understated. I have a much stronger sense of self, and compassion towards myself; I am aware of how to take care of myself and combat negative thought patterns; I have been able to pursue my hobbies again after years of feeling too depressed to do so; I have improved my physical health by exercising at the gym and fitness classes, something I would never have had the courage to do; I have been able to build relationships in this community and I participate in activities within it, which has been so important to me as a newcomer to the area.
I still have bad days, and there are times when I revert to the mental state that became the norm for me. However, the difference is that I have a wealth of tools and coping mechanisms at my disposal that allow me to combat moods that may have spiralled into suicidal thoughts followed by a several weeks-long depressive episode. In addition to this, knowing I can speak to my counsellor at any time to talk things through – knowing that support is readily available – makes me feel a lot safer and more secure.
Being able to access counselling at low-cost rate has been crucial to this improvement in my health and wellbeing. I have found it difficult to find permanent, full time, fixed-contract work in the area due to the seasonality of many of its businesses, and as such my income over the past year has been extremely unstable. Had it not been for the reduced price in sessions, I would not have been able to afford regular counselling and would never have been able to experience the improvements above.
It can be very challenging living in a small community in a remote place. CounsellingGALE is essential for people of all ages living in this area and provides such meaningful support to people’s lives. I can confidently say that I am living proof of that.