Freya* came to Wellspring and received counselling both before and during lockdown.
Here Freya shares her story. (*names have been changed to maintain confidentiality)
“My husband had suddenly been diagnosed with a serious illness a couple of years ago. It was an ongoing condition and the process of finding the right treatment was stressful. It got to the point where I was feeling ‘full up’ with unprocessed events and emotions. I didn’t feel I was able to talk it through with friends, because it felt like it was all too much. I wanted to protect my husband, so I wanted to talk to someone who didn’t know him. I realised I needed a safe space.
I also knew that I wasn’t good at expressing my feelings. All these emotions were sitting there like a great weight, but not going anywhere. I lived with this sadness and anxiety, and any kind of responsibility overwhelmed me. Because it had been such a responsibility dealing with my husband’s illness, especially as the illness was so unpredictable, it left me feeling like I couldn’t deal with any more responsibility.
After my first counselling session at Wellspring, I came away with such a sense of relief and gratitude.
I had really needed to tell someone the details of the events of his illness, and my counsellor created such a safe place where I could tell my story. Throughout my sessions, she was a very kind and supportive person. She helped me to identify my feelings. I learnt to recognise when my emotions were building up inside me, and she helped me to carefully unpack incidents from my past that were affecting my present. My counsellor gave me the tools I needed to help with my life going forward.
I started my sessions in January, and we had some sessions in person. I found the centre was a very easy place to come to, especially when you’re new and you’re not sure what to expect. You could go in and just sit there quietly to wait for your session.
Then when lockdown happened, we ended up doing video calls instead.
The online side of things was fine. We had to get used to it at first, but it was all ok. It was good to be able to see my counsellor on the video call.
I finished my counselling sessions in May, which was quite a long time, but it was worth it. I feel I’m in a different place now. It’s lifted so much of the pressure and the anxiety. I also think I’m more able to deal with things when I do experience difficult emotions now. Right the way through my sessions, I didn’t have any sense of being able to look beyond where I was, but now I can finally look beyond. I am able to move forwards and think about the future. I’d highly recommend Wellspring and encourage anyone weighed down by life’s pressures to get in touch and see a counsellor. It’s a safe place.”
