Still Recovered

[sammie]

Hi

I just thought i would pop back and let anyone who remembers me from 2007 during a severe bout of anxiety that struck me. I have been looking at all my old posts and cant believe that was me ! it was horrific to say the least and there were times i thought i wouldn't get through it, but i did.

i am now a CBT therapist and a stronger person for the horrible experience

so keep going and you will come out the other side

sam x

[jimsmrs]

Well done....there is hope for us all:D


Lesley

[MrAndy]

Well done,it must be very rewarding work for you

[BikerMatt]

Brilliant news great to hear....... oh and free CBT for all NMP members :shades::shades::shades::shades:

[wabbit1]

Well done.

[Tessar]

Loving it, sam .... Thanku v.much for coming back & posting.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well done Sammie, and its great you are helping others too.

[sammie]

Hi

thanks everyone x i am also thinking of writing about mt experience in the hope it may help others

Sam:D

[Tessar]

Samir, I am interested in becoming a befriender or volunteering in something to do with bullying. People have said to me that the way I write is very good. It might be I can transfer my skills into the spoken word. Did you have to do alot of training to become a CBT therapist? I wouldn't want to do this as my living but am curious to look into what I might be able to do. Also do you find it fulfilling?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Samir, I am interested in becoming a befriender or volunteering in something to do with bullying. People have said to me that the way I write is very good. It might be I can transfer my skills into the spoken word. Did you have to do alot of training to become a CBT therapist? I wouldn't want to do this as my living but am curious to look into what I might be able to do. Also do you find it fulfilling?

You might find this an interesting read from the BACP Tessar http://www.bacp.co.uk/crs/Training/careersincounselling.php

Training to become a therapist can be shorter than the degree route by following their pathway. There is a Bill of Parliament in discussion to regulate this sector but the BACP is one of the most well respected and work with the NHS to improve standards.

Maybe studying the shorter foundation style course could be off interest?

It all depends whether you want to work in the sector. There are many cheap 100hr style courses that would give you the information you need to wrote about these disorders, but if you want to move into the sector then the BACP route of ongoing supervision is the best as it ensures you have the skills & experience to work with people.

There are also meeting coordinator NVQ's for anxiety & depression charities as there is one such charity in my city that offers it free to members (membership being free) and then you coordinate their walk in meetings and help with the awareness courses.

---------- Post added at 05:38 ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 ----------


Hi

thanks everyone x i am also thinking of writing about mt experience in the hope it may help others

Sam:D

Yes, definately. Loads of people will appreciate that Sam. :yesyes:

[sammie]

hi both

yes i enjoy my work mainly because i know how bad dep/ anx can make you feel. i did a psychology degree first then moved into CBT but as My Name is Terry said there are other routes into counselling x

Sam

must put pen to paper and get this book done :D

[MyNameIsTerry]

Wow, thats great Sam, you went the full way with it. We definately need more people like you.

I remember my therapist agreeing that its quite different knowing how it really feels and working with clients. I think she had gone the non degree route from anxiety/depression as she was a coordinator for a charity prior to that and when I later joined that charity I found all members were recovered or current sufferers.

[WhitestFly]

Great Sam! Your story sounds refreshing to me. I'm in the phase in which things have been going better and I'm about to start reducing meds. Reading about your long-term well-being means a lot. Thanks!

[Tessar]

Thank you terry. I appreciate u taking the time to put the link up & for your comments. Very helpful.

I really wouldn't want to sound remotely negative on such a positive thread.... though I feel i would struggle for enough motivation to do proper training. But then saying that, were it something less demanding, that would enable me to carry on with my job, then I am sure it would be interesting at the very least. I would certainly not write it off.

This is why, Sammi, I think you are you are amazing, to do a degree. Must have been very insightful, as well as informative. But also very impressive to pick yourself up and achieve so much. I would imagine you are able to relate to and empathise with your clients. Your personal experiences will prove to be extremely valuable to those people.

I think it's time I got off my butt & took my interest in mental health matters and volunteering more seriously and bashing down the barriers stopping me do this.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thats ok Tessar, I've posted it a few times when people have asked about getting into counselling & therapy so its always at hand.

I noticed my local council website had mental health awareness courses listed at various community centres & churches throughout this year which are very low cost. There are also tons of online courses for mental health. Eventually these are likely to become outside of the requirements for a professional if the BoP goes through, although I expect it will be a very woolly Act which will be constantly amended for years. However, if you don't want to work in that field, it doesn't mean you can't use the online courses because they only reflect popular psychology anyway. Many are accredited and as the health sector is in Ofqual's mandatory regulation bracket, they must appear on the Ofqual register so its easy to check who is accredited and why. Accreditation comes in 2 forms though, one where the accrediting body checks one or a few qualifications that are bespoke and the other form is where they recognise a company or college to accredit their own work because they have been granted a licence. NCFE or ABC are examples where you can find all this and the Ofqual register is easy to find & use.

Volunteering could be in or out of the box I think. In the box would be helping charities although it is worth checking the Do-It website because many charities allow for distance volunteers nowadays or remote volunteers working from home in the charities local area. I know for my area there are opportunities to interview service users to enable the charity to assess its services and these roles are pretty flexible where you just attend any walk-in style meetings that are going on.

Out of the box, blog your successes with social anxiety. You have done loads to beat this and it is an inspiration to others to see someone progressing. I know you've got some long running threads but you could also blog it on your own website for people to use or maybe write stories for Rethink's Time To Change website.

I agree on Sam, thats a lot of dedication. I find anxiety has made me struggle with long term projects because that was my career before. So, anyone who can commit like that is an inspiration for me too. When I was attending the charity walk-ins, several of the attendees were training to become volunteer coordinators and a couple I spoke to wanted to progress to counselling which is great because the medics really don't know how it can impact us other than from their learning and spending time with clients but its like a GP saying they know what a broken leg feels like when they haven't had one...its not like you can draw a comparison to a sprained ankle!

[sammie]

hi
i was halfway through my degree when severe anxiety struck. I had to take a year out and to be honest at that point thought i would never return. I remember reading my assignments and couldn't believe i had written them. That's what anxiety does to you. i honestly don't know how i got back to uni i suspect as i have always been stubborn it was that stubbornness that wouldn't let me give up. I remember each lecture i was sat in was filled with dread and agitation and i would have to call someone in between them just to ground myself.

i must admit when with clients i often say something and they will say my god thats just what it feels like.

keep going its worth it in the end

samx