When her mental health took a turn, Chloe found a safe space with our support and advice service at our Youth Advice Centre in Crawley.
Chloe is an inspiring young individual who faced immense challenges while studying for her GCSEs. During this time, she struggled with her mental health and turned to self-harm to cope with stress and anxiety. Chloe had already tried different things to reduce her self-harming but was still finding it difficult to stop. She sought help from our support and advice centre and her life took a positive turn.
Chloe’s support worker noticed her creative spirit and introduced her to various crafting activities like painting, sewing, drawing and making jewellery dishes out of air-dried clay. These sessions became a much-needed escape and helped her discover distraction techniques. She said: “I look forward to our sessions each week and making things. It feels like a time-out from normal life.”
Chloe found it helpful to talk about her struggles and worries with someone outside of her family. Her support and advice worker created a safe space where she felt respected.
We also worked closely with her family so they could also gain an understanding of how to support her. Through thought reprocessing and safety plans, she eventually stopped self-harming and gained valuable tools to manage her feelings.
We’re incredibly proud of Chloe and her journey.
Our support and advice service is free and entirely led by the young person.
Find out more about our support and advice service here.
Access help for mental health support online here.
*Name and photo have been changed to protect this young person’s identity
