A Survivor's Story
Back to news"I have been under the Wish Centre for a while now due to the domestic abuse I have suffered for most of my life.. I was in a pretty bad way when I came to them. My mental health was declining quickly and I just didn’t see a way out. I attended a couple of their programmes and it was also recommended to me that I try counselling from them also. I also have PTSD due to the abuse and I also have borderline personality disorder (BPD).
I was on a waiting list initially but because I was declining rapidly with my mental health, they made the decision for me to be seen sooner. They asked me if I was okay with a trainee counsellor called Janet and I was happy to continue.
I spent 12 sessions with Janet overall. She was so kind and understanding. My first session I was so nervous and I didn’t speak much. But I didn’t feel any pressure to speak out and I was able to take things at my own pace. Me and Janet gained a really good rapport quite quickly. She was very easy to talk to and she never judged. Half way through the sessions I did slowly start to open up. Seeing Janet every week gave me a reason to keep going. I didn’t feel alone. When I was feeling like I couldn’t cope, I knew that I would be seeing her soon and I could talk to her, so that also kept me going. I was also going through a lot at the time of counselling so I was able to incorporate my past and my present into the sessions and my mind was so messy with everything but she kept me level and helped me to organise my thoughts. We did some work sheets which really opened my eyes and helped me to organise and prioritise things easier when I thought I couldn’t.
For example: we did a pillars work sheet. It consisted of 5 pillars and she asked me what in my life kept these pillars from falling. I listed my children first, then my partner, my family, my car and a job. Initially I didn’t even list myself. But she showed me that I am at the heart of all of that and I should make myself a priority because without me, there would be no car, no job, no family. This really opened my eyes a lot.
At the end of the 12 weeks It was like I was a different person. I learnt so much. I learnt to take time for me without feeling guilty, I was given tools that will stay with me forever and I can use them all the time. My mental health improved and the confidence in me changed too. In the sessions I was able to laugh, cry, scream, be angry if I wanted to and it was a way to release all these emotions safely.
If it wasn’t for the Wish Centre and Janet, I can say that I wouldn’t be here writing this feedback today. The work they do is just incredible. They have given me the confidence I needed, they have empowered me and they have kept me safe.
They was there for me when I had to attend family court, criminal court because my ex assaulted me, they was there for me at my lowest and my highest. My point is, this is what they do, they are there for us when we need them. The women I have encountered at the wish centre have just been incredible. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. They have given me my life back and gave me the tools and the knowledge to ensure I never end up in an abusive relationship again.
I owe my life to the wish centre. xx"