Ruth (59) had been on antidepressants for 20 years before acknowledging that she may benefit from talking therapy to combat the depression and anxiety she was experiencing. As well as this, Ruth felt “slapped around” by The Menopause and shared that initially, her age meant she felt she wouldn’t get as much out of counselling. She now shares that it’s the best thing she’s ever done and that’s it’s never too late.

Ruth was drawn to Simply because of our ethos. A Community Interest Company that took into account the individuals’ financial circumstances impressed her, and then took the time and effort to match a suitable counsellor to her. Ruth found it was “easy” at a time when things didn’t always feel this way.

Ruth acknowledged that her biggest barrier to accessing support for the way she was feeling was herself. Once Ruth had realized that the medication was enabling her to “not feel”, Ruth felt ready to access talking therapy, and once she stepped out of her own way, the road ahead was cleared for her. Ruth, at times, felt that if she weren’t to wake up, she wouldn’t mind, and this worrying thought enabled her to make that initial step to reach out to us.

Starting with weekly sessions where Ruth was able to talk about the things that were going on for her, Ruth said “all I feel I’ve done is talk! But it’s not like lie-back-on-a-couch-and-tell-me-about-your-childhood, it’s more of a conversation about getting you to look at things through a different prism, and it’s one of the best things you could do.”

8 months into her counselling journey, Ruth shared that she is now accessing sessions once every 3 weeks and is currently on 10mg of anti-depressants, hoping to reach 0. She now feels she wants to live, feel and experience it “wholly”. Ruth feels involved in her own treatment and has been given the confidence to make changes for herself with the support of her counsellor who gave her the space and safety to find her own answers.