Background
I worked for 15 years as a teacher, including as an assistant head teacher. I had mental health difficulties but I put on a brave face and tried to do my best at work. About 6 years ago I became very unwell and had to be admitted to hospital for severe depression. I just couldn't function on a day to day basis. I became suicidal and made attempts to end my life. Since then I have been under the care of inpatient crisis teams, home treatment and the community health team and I am still.
How long were you not working for?
It was 5 years before I starting full time employment again
How did you start to think about returning to work?
I was taken to an anxiety course by my support worker as I couldn't travel on my own and it was there I found out about People Participation at ELFT. People Participation gave me opportunities to volunteer, get involved and to do something meaningful.
I was also receiving psychotherapy and one of the psychologists got me involved in a project. I was helping doing some volunteer work with local organisations. For example, I was helping with an art project and a gardening project and I started to support the groups I was involved in by organising a trip to the museum as an example, you know, all those little things that really help. I enjoy art and crafts and find it very therapeutic and I'm a creative person so it was creative therapeutic work, I would say.
Then what did you do?
Slowly I started to do more. It wasn't easy, but I felt like I had started to do more things. Yes, I did have ups and downs so it wasn't just like a linear journey back into work. It took me kind of a few years to get back to a fully functional level. That's when I became more actively involved in ELFT People Participation. And then I started using my previous skills and knowledge in teaching and training. I got involved in a lot of training sessions, designing and delivering that training and then an inpatient redesign project.
How did volunteering help?
I felt like I was contributing something back to the community and I wasn't feeling worthless or useless anymore. That's why I wanted to end my life and I became suicidal because I felt really useless and worthless, I felt like I was a burden. I felt a lot of self-blame and self-stigmatizing as well because I was hiding my mental illness. There is still a lot of stigma in our mental health. From personal experience every time I shared about my difficulty in challenges suddenly their perception kind of used to change. Then you are just seen as a label, as a mentally ill patient, but I’ve got other skills and experiences. So volunteering helped me with my confidence, it help people to see me beyond that label, and being able to contribute through volunteering helped with my self-esteem.
What do you do now?
I became People Participation Lead at ELFT and I absolutely love my role. I just love my job because through this role I've been able to connect with other Service Users and Carers and support them, and I've developed those relationships with Service Users, Carers, Colleagues and Community organisations.
I work to support and empower Service Users and Carers, ensuring they are actively involved in helping continuously improve ELFT services by working in equal partnership with Trust colleagues and teams. Staff, Service Users and Carers alike feel supported and inspired when they are working together. It reassures everyone that they can make a difference and be a positive part of change and improvement. I work with and support Service Users with getting involved in a range of opportunities, which in turn enables them to develop confidence and skills as a way to support their recovery journey.
What advice would you give to someone in a similar is maybe thinking I'm not ready for work?
I would say People Participation at ELFT has been very flexible because we’ve got so many opportunities, including voluntary work. There are so many opportunities to choose from and actually do something that people enjoy which gives them purpose and ensures you are meaningful involvement.
If people want to claim for their time, there is a reward and recognition policy as well. But it's always up to service and carers to check with the benefits agency about what they can or can't claim. But if they just want to do voluntary work then we’ve got a voluntary department as well. There is a voluntary coordinator and they could just do things on a voluntary basis if they feel like people participation is not for them. There are community organisations too.
I think having that openness and flexibility, going to drop-in sessions and having flexibility, doesn't put too much pressure on the person. If they feel like they're not ready or they need to take baby steps initially, that's fine. The IPS service Luton and Bedfordshire is very well established now. If someone is thinking of employment, I would highly recommend them.
What helps you to remain in work and to stay well?
I feel like for the first time I don't need to be ashamed of my mental illness. With the role I have now, almost all of the team members have got that lived experience of mental illness so we fully understand. There is so much, so much empathy, compassion which makes it like a very safe and supportive environment. In my previous job in teaching, no one at my workplace knew about what I was going through. I put a mask on, I was trying to cope with it but then I just became too unwell. They didn't know what I was going through. They only found out when I ended up in the hospital. Maybe if I could be more open and honest, they could have put more support measures place. Asking for help, it's not a sign of weakness. It takes a lot of courage. To be able to say I need help.
Interview preparation tips for people looking to start employment:
• Speak to PPL or someone from IPS Employment support service
• Do mock interview/s
• Be yourself and enjoy the experience
• Smile :)