Mental Health support joins forces with Careers Guidance to change lives

A scheme supporting NHS patients suffering with mental health issues is working with Futures to help people who want to get back to work, change jobs, or even pursue a new career through training.

Employability and careers advice provider, Futures, has been working with Insight Healthcare in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire since January this year to provide additional help to those people referred by the NHS for support with their mental health.

Together with Futures, Insight provides free NHS talking therapy services and a range of employee wellbeing programmes across the UK. Mum of three, Lisa Kitt from Newark, knows just how important this support is.

Lisa, who lives in Newark began to suffer from anxiety and depression after a traumatic event and was becoming increasingly unhappy in her job which she had been working in for nearly 16 years.

Lisa had worked at a primary school in West Bridgford, working in various roles but eventually behind the scenes in the office following a battle with cancer. It was while she suffered with cancer that Lisa found her love for the care sector, volunteering for Macmillan Cancer supporting cancer patients and their families.

Soon after Lisa was given the all clear from cancer, she was involved in a distressing car accident and began to struggle in her work environment, and found very little support from her employer. It began to get too much, which is when she met with Futures.

Together, they found a role as Activity Coordinator at Newton House in Grantham and worked through the application and interview process with her Futures adviser, Esther Murray. Following an activity-led interview, which brought out Lisa’s creative side, the Mum of three was offered the job.

She concluded: “I would say to anyone who is struggling with their mental health to contact Insight and Futures. From the minute I first picked up the phone to arrange an appointment, to being sat here right now, I can’t believe the difference. Bringing the two services together is such a god send, because I – like many other people – was finding my work environment to be one of the things that affected me the most. Lois and Esther have given me a whole new lease of life, and I’m so grateful.”

Michelle Wright, Operations Director for Futures, said: “When people are dealing with any mental health issue, their job, career or training options may be having a direct impact on their condition; or, it may be the last thing on someone’s mind, and they’ve lost their way. Whatever position someone is in when they are referred, we can be there to offer our support and advice to help improve the outcomes for each individual.”

The Futures team helps with a variety of problems, from supporting those signed off sick, unhappy in their current role, the unemployed or even those struggling with workplace bullying.