The Life Course is impacting lives, supporting people towards new beginnings and better futures. It’s a 10-week course aimed at supporting people in their recovery from addiction, trauma and poor mental health. Two years ago, we started the Life Course at Genesis Life Projects and, as of December 2022, 39 guests have completed the course.
We want to share Chloe’s story with you and her journey with Genesis Trust. She is a support assistant in a school and works with children with special needs. When she arrived at Genesis, she was unable to carry on working because of her mental health. Here is her story in her own words.
“Genesis trust was my last hope. I was at rock bottom with my mental health. All the mental health professionals kept passing me off to one another, so I wasn’t getting any support. When I finally got referred to Genesis, I was so close to just giving up on life.
I met with Sue (Manager of Genesis Life Projects) and instantly felt cared for. She recommended many things that I could try with them. Unlike many organisations, all were available to attend right away with no waiting list.
She also offered one to one sessions, where you can chat over a coffee or on a walk once a week with one of the Genesis team. There was no pressure to do any of it and I was able to go away and have a little think.
When I spoke to Sue about the fact that I had been off work for the last two months, she was surprised I hadn’t been sign-posted to universal credit for financial support. She booked me in to come back and meet with her and Paul Solley (Lifeline Manager) to help get me signed up. I had never been off work, so I had no idea what support was out there.
Sue also recommended the Life Course that she runs as a small group. At first, I was very unsure as I’m not good in groups. But the support given was amazing and I was able to attend the course. We had weekly reminders from the team to attend the course which was motivational. It took a bit of time for me to gain confidence, but I spoke up a bit more each time. I found the course so helpful, having a folder with all the information in and bits that you can complete during each session, you get to keep it and look back on it at any time.
The main thing I took away from the course was the ‘small steps’ goals. People often set goals that are too big for where they are at, but if you start smaller, they are much more achievable and can give you the confidence to make bigger changes. Obviously, I learnt so much more as well. I would recommend the Life Course to anyone that needs a bit of support.
The main thing that makes Genesis Trust stand out to me, is that the support never stops. The team are all so lovely and just because I finished attending the Life Course, I can still reach out to Sue and the team at Genesis anytime.
I just want to say a massive thank you to the Genesis team for their care and understanding and for all the work they do.”
The Life Course had an immediate impact on Chloe’s life. After the course, she was able to start back to work 3 shorter days with universal credit supplementing her income. Recently, she went back to 4 full-time days. It’s a great example of how the Life Course and the help from the team at Genesis Life Projects can support someone from crisis to independence, from despair to hope.
You can read more about Genesis Life Projects HERE.
