Case Study
Dealing with abuse – Zoe’s story
Zoe was married to her ex-husband for 20 years. For 17 of those he abused her, mentally, physically and sexually. Zoe’s ex-husband would always lock the doors so she could not escape until one night he left the house keys unattended. Zoe took the opportunity to escape with her daughter, wearing only their nightclothes. She could not get to her son so was forced to leave him behind.
Zoe moved to the Barnsley area and was placed under police protection. She was too scared to visit her old home, in case she ran into her ex-husband or his family. She isolated herself for many years and would leave the house only rarely.
She began attending Mind in September 2014. Initially Zoe’s attendance was very sporadic but now she rarely misses a group session. Since Zoe started attending groups regularly she has been making fantastic progress. She started by attending the women’s group followed by social sessions and our women’s confidence building course. She has been setting herself little goals to achieve on a regular basis.
Her main goal was to find the the confidence to visit the cemetery where her father is buried in her previous home town. She had not visited there since leaving her ex-husband a number of years ago but achieved this with the support of R B Mind. She also wanted to start going out in the evenings and has joined her local mixed darts team; something she could never have done just a year ago.
Zoe has also been brave enough to speak to the local radio station, Dearne FM, to promote Rotherham & Barnsley Mind and our services. She was so proud and elated at being able to speak about her experience that she treated herself to a day out at the races – another thing she said she would never have thought possible last year.
Real names have not been used to protect the confidentiality of our clients. Photo posed by models.
To find out more about our services please contact the Rotherham office on 01709 919929 or Barnsley on 01226 211188.
Seeking Counselling
If you are being affected by issues or concerns that are stopping you from enjoying life or reaching your full potential, then our counselling services could help. Find out more
Elefriends
Elefriends is a supportive online community where you can be yourself. We all know what it’s like to struggle sometimes, but now there’s a safe place to listen, share and be heard. Find out more
Latest Updates
Follow Rotherham and Barnsley Mind on your favourite social network
We have been working with LensGo Visual Media for a few years and they are currently our business ambassador. They have been working hard putting together this powerful message. Please take a look at it and remember it is ok to not been ok!
Please share and get the message across!
Thank you for everyone who took part in this!
Tuesdays act of kindness is to tell you about Ged. He has written a book about how to cope with anxiety. Ged has suffered with anxiety himself and he knows how much it can affect people! This book is available as a ebook which is free to download until tomorrow!
Ged is a massive support of rotherham and Barnsley mind. Helps with fundraising events, funding pots and so much more. In fact he is donating a percentage of his book straight to us!
Please go and have a look!
#beingkind
#kindnessmatters
#MHAW2020So, I didn’t think I would be writing this in the middle of an epidemic but here goes...
Around 8 months ago and long before all the current madness descended on the world, I decided to start writing down tips that could help people struggling with their mental health. My brain is always rolling with ideas and this one just felt right and snowballed.
To here....Help with Anxiety.
I am very proud to announce on the first day of mental health week, the publishing of my first book. It’s available on Amazon and other online stores as well as bookshops and for educational settings. There are 150 tips and strategies to help anybody suffering from anxiety, worry and panic. It is also suitable for anyone suffering from depression or stress and for those who are looking to improve their all-round wellbeing. It is also useful for anybody looking to help someone suffering from these conditions.
I have always felt passionate about mental health and I have had my own journey and battles with anxiety over the years. I won’t go into it too much here but I do cover it in the introduction to the book if you read it. I have walked the miles and have the t-shirt, the shoes, the jeans, the badge and the hat.
Writing it has been challenging as I have had to write it in the evenings around working full time and also around being the best husband and dad I can be when the kids are awake. It’s exhausted me at points, as having a toddler and a baby is exhausting as it is, but it’s done now.
The UK and the wider world were already experiencing a mental health pandemic as it was and now Coronavirus has added to it in unknown proportions. Before the current crisis, 1 in 4 people in the UK experienced a mental health problem every year and 1 in 6 experienced anxiety or depression in any given week. A figure I imagine has significantly increased now.
This mental health week is probably the biggest and most needed that there has ever been. So, although I feel nervous about putting myself out there and being open about my journey with mental health, I hope that the tips and strategies can help other people to get through their own battles.
On launching the book, I am also proud to say that I am now an ambassador for Rotherham & Barnsley Mind which is an independent affiliate of the national charity. I will be donating 10% of all profits from the book to them to help with the brilliant work they do.
I wanted to give people the opportunity to read the book for free so I have made the Ebook available for free for the next three days before it goes to £6.99. There is also a paperback version available if you would like a hard copy. Therefore, anybody reading this who needs it can access it for free now and over the coming days and keep it permanently. I am also sending the free link to mental health charities so they can share it with their service users. Please feel free to tag or share it with anyone you feel may benefit from it and please feel free to share the link with your family, friends, colleagues and in any groups, you are in.
If you would like to get the Ebook or paperback then here is the link:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088P937P4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_dzOWEbE5XF4FT
Also, if you would like to follow any of my new social pages then these are the links:
www.instagram.com/forhelpwithanxiety/
www.facebook.com/forhelpwithanxiety
And if you want to chat then my inbox is always open.
So yeah, I’m nervous but I’m excited and I hope if you read it, it helps you.
If you do read it and enjoy it please leave a review on Amazon so other people who are struggling will see the value in it.
Stay healthy and remember, you are stronger than you know x
Mental health awareness week is upon us. This years theme is 'kindness matter'. This isnt just about being kind to others but also kind to yourself!
#MHAW
#kindnessmatters
We are working really hard to adapt our services and ensure that we are still providing our vital services in our communities. Please bear with us over the next few days while we are trying to get on top of our social media updates. You can find more information on our website. www.rbmind.co.uk
It's Mental Health Awareness week and here at Rotherham and Barnsley Mind we are trying to help people alleviate stress. Please click on the link and read our booklet on stress, keep sharing this post lets help everyone beat stress.....
#rbmindbeatingstress #StressLessBarnsley
"social media is actually helping my mental health"
http://ow.ly/XQnm30izpMb
5 ways to tackle mental health questions during a job interview
http://ow.ly/2zY630izp8d
How looking forward to things is good for your mental health
http://ow.ly/mL6F30izp0Z
Australians washing their way to better mental health
http://ow.ly/C0li30izoRr
