Amy was struggling with new job anxiety and trying to adjust to her work environment when she was referred to us for the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service.
The 32-year-old, from Bournemouth, had recently moved away from home and started work as an in-house graphic designer.
Experiencing anxiety about her work and her ability to do her new job effectively, Amy suffered a mental health relapse — having first experienced problems in her teens.
Overwhelmed and anxious
She explained: “I didn’t feel I was performing at my best in my previous role, and I think that this got stuck in my head when I changed jobs. I began to feel easily overwhelmed and anxious about the work I was producing.
“I was experiencing a lot of self-doubt, which led to the slippery slope into depression. I was in a dark place and didn’t have any perspective.
“I built it up into something toxic and everything became this perpetual cycle that was getting out of control.”
As her situation at work worsened, Amy was referred to the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service, for further help.
Personally tailored support
Our specialist advisors provide nine months of personally tailored mental health support to help employees and apprentices with a mental health condition to stay in or return to work.
Amy began fortnightly support sessions with her Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, Alison.
“I’ve recently discovered that I’m neurodiverse and an element of that is feeling all these emotions,” Amy explained.
“Alison taught me to step back from my situation, and not blame myself; I immediately felt that she was speaking my language.
“She didn’t tell me what direction to go in, she gave me permission to just travel and see where it takes me and that she would be there to help me.”
Key to improving
During her sessions with Alison, Amy discovered that work and being creative were key to improving her mental wellbeing.
“Alison shared resources with me which provided me with the skills to proactively rebuild myself, giving me a safe space to explore.,” she explained.
“I knew work would be the key to improving my mental health and Maximus helped me do that and reclaim my independence.”
Alison said: “It’s great to see how far Amy has come since being referred to the service. She’s in a much better place than she was at the start and continues to work on self-care. This has had a positive impact upon her mental health.”
Continued support
Following her return to work, Amy continues to receive support from Alison when required, and is even looking to set up her own graphic design business.
Amy reflected: “What I really like about the service is that it offers long-term structured support. The Access to Work Mental Health Support Service has definitely changed my life.”
Find out more about how the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service could help you with new job anxiety or any mental health issue.
