Helping people to help others

Every month, our Advice and Information Service receive almost 300 calls from people who find themselves trying to navigate the mental health and benefits system. The support our team provides has become a vital lifeline for those that call.

Liz – a volunteer who joined us in September – has experienced depression herself. Despite having her own struggles, she has gone from strength to strength. Liz takes great pride in the crucial help she provides to those that get in contact with us. She says:  

“I’ve learned so much at the Advice service and it’s been really worthwhile to help others who have had difficulties with their mental health. It has also helped me to come out of my shell after having my own issues to deal with.”

By investing in training volunteers and our specialist staff, we can make sure we maximise the impact of every call we receive. Take the example of Tree.

Tree’s childhood was a difficult one. A history of sexual and emotional abuse left her traumatised as a child and led to many of the difficulties she still faces today, including PTSD and anxiety.

As she says herself, she ‘presents well’ and when you chat to her you might not realise how incredibly difficult it is for her to ask for help, or sometimes, even to talk to people in positions of authority. Tree turned to our Advice and Information Service when she needed support. It took all her courage to pick up the phone and get in touch with us. Yet, it was a huge relief when she finally did.

“The first call helped me to deal with my fears as there was someone speaking to me in a way that made me feel okay...  we shared a joke, and this actually lifted my anxiety and made me feel better about myself."

Your support today could help us make an enormous difference to the lives of people who urgently need our support.

Make a donation now and help us help others

 

More about our advice team

We have a dedicated team of just four advice and information officers who are busy answering phone calls, web chats and emails – as well as writing factsheets.

• We provide about 268 expert advice and information sessions over the phone each month.
• Every month over 66,000 visit the top 5 web pages on our site. 
• Last year, over 3.5 million people visited our website last year looking for information.

This would not be possible without the generous donations from our supporters and fundraisers. 

 

Help us continue to be there when people need us the most, Please make a donation today