Previously Relate Severn and Wye
Sometimes you just need a bit of support
Life can be tough
Adrian is in his mid-fifties, been married for 25 years and has 3 children. He has a high powered job and he was finding it tough. His bosses at work were not supportive and he ended up going to his doctor. After seeing his GP a few times, his doctor suggested he come to us.
Relationship Support – The Counselling
At the initial assessment Adrian was unable to speak with confidence, he was exhausted, anxious, and depressed. He avoided eye contact and was very uncomfortable in the room. We agreed to set small goals which he would try and achieve between sessions. We stressed the importance of not rushing his recovery and trying to find acceptance that his situation could take a long time to recover from.
Over the coming weekly sessions we agreed the following coping strategies.
• Researching his medication so that he would know all about it and how it might improve his wellbeing. We talked about knowledge is power and how that might help to reduce his anxiety.
• Strategies to help reduce his overcrowded mind. Negative thinking and overthinking of situations he could not change. Using distraction to help control these thoughts like gardening, walking the dogs and decorating. Adrian was also interested in self-help and he agreed to listen to mental health podcasts to support the work done in the therapy room. This proved to be very helpful.
• Adrian agreed that it might help to keep a journal of worries and concerns, recognising triggers which enhanced his anxiety. He did this and bought it with him so that we could discuss it at our sessions. We developed strategies to overcome and recognise triggers.
Relationship Support – The Outcome
By week 4 Adrian was able to talk about his family and concerns he had about their wellbeing as well as his own. He went away confident that he would communicate more honestly with his wife and then his children about a new work life balance which would positively improve all their lives.
After 4 weeks we spaced out the appointments to leave him more time to practice the strategies he had agreed to try. He embraced the idea of focusing on his body and mind together to get well again using distraction therapy when negative thoughts started to intrude. We discussed what his work future might look like. A change of career might be better for his wellbeing. He engaged with his employer to agree a permanent exit plan from his job.
After 7 sessions Adrian felt confident to end our work together. We reviewed all the ideas and strategies he had implemented so that they were there for him to use again when required. We agreed he would contact us again if he ever needed further support.
This case study is loosely based on the kind of scenarios we work with, as opposed to a specific client. We never shares the stories of our clients without permission, even with names and details changed.
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