She asked us for help’
Jess reveals the pick of the products she turns to, from older standards to a few lesser-known gems that won’t blow the budget
HELPING HAND Kelsey Hylland
Sam* was a very troubled 23-year-old university graduate when she turned to the unique health and wellbeing charity Body & Soul for help.
“Sam was in a dark place when she came to us in 2018,” recalls Kelsey Hylland, leader of the National Lotterysupported charity’s You Are Not Alone group therapy programme for young people aged 16 to 30 who have attempted suicide.
“She had struggled with mental health problems throughout her university career. She was self-harming, had attempted suicide and had got to the point where she found it difficult to find the motivation to get out of bed. She had sought counselling, but found it lacking. She simply couldn’t find a way out.”
So Sam was put on the six-month You Are Not Alone programme. This combines weekly two-hour group therapy sessions with holistic all-round support to boost self-confidence and encourage social interaction through workshops and activities held at the charity’s London community centre, prior to the pandemic.
It was the breakthrough Sam needed. “After six months she had already made massive strides in developing her selfconfidence, so she felt able to start working part-time as a teacher,” says Kelsey. “When lockdown temporarily put a stop to that, Sam was able to continue her involvement in the Body & Soul community through volunteering. She flourished with this opportunity and became a lead volunteer in one of the programmes. With the end of lockdown in sight, she’s looking forward to applying for other jobs.”
Sam is one of many Body & Soul success stories since the charity was founded 24 years ago by Emma Colyer MBE to support families of those affected by HIV. It has since expanded its activities, partly thanks to £73,000 of National Lottery funding, and now supports people of all ages who have experienced childhood trauma.
The funding has also been vital in helping the charity deal with the difficulties of the past year. Covid-related stress has trebled the number of young people coming to Body & Soul with mental health problems and lockdown has meant switching the support programmes to online streaming. “That, especially, is where The National Lottery’s support has been a massive help,” says Body & Soul’s head of pathways and programmes Zoë Reynolds. “It enabled us to make the switch straightaway, without any break in the services that we offer.”
We moved our support online thanks to help from The National Lottery ZOë REYNOLDS BODY & SOUL
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