My Journey with Bath Mind Counselling – Alicia’s Story
In our latest Your Stories blog, Alicia shares her experience of using Bath Mind’s counselling service, the impact that talking therapies had on her mental health, and how running Bath Half Marathon will help her give back. Please note, this blog mentions childhood trauma and abandonment issues.
Struggling to Find Support
In 2022 I finally broke down. After years of masking and shoving my feelings to the back of my mind, I crumbled. Triggered by someone from my childhood, this saw me spend a month on the sofa, and suddenly having no idea what happened to me.
The first year of this journey I struggled day to day, was having anxiety attacks, felt the lowest of low, broke up with my partner in an attempt to shield myself from the possibility of more hurt, and had a plan to move away and run from everything. I had limited support from my local GP surgery, and honestly, every single avenue I tried I got, “We don’t deal with cases like yours,” or “We don’t deal with complex trauma so we can’t help you.”.
Finding Bath Mind
Fast forward to October 2023, I’d moved to Bath and repaired my relationship. But I still knew I couldn’t keep going without dealing with my trauma. I also knew I needed to do this; not only for me, but for my son. With NHS counselling services basically non-existent, I found Bath Mind online and put in a self-referral.
In a matter of days, I had a phone call with Bath Mind to go through their referral process and go on the waitlist. I waited 6 months for a spot, which really, for affordable counselling is amazing.
The time I spent with my counsellor from Bath Mind was life changing, but really hard work. She made me feel safe and heard, showed empathy and compassion, and allowed me space to feel everything to process it.
I think one of the most helpful things my counsellor did was rephrase things I’d said in a way that made me realise, actually, I was right to be upset or hurt by those things. By the end of the twelve weeks, my counsellor said she was proud of me, which was the first time I’d heard that and really took it on board. To say the tears were flowing is an understatement!!
The Impact of Counselling
My counsellor from Bath Mind will always hold a special place in my heart because without them, I’d still be in the pits of depression and anxiety, having no idea how to get out of that dark hole, with the weight of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), abandonment issues and trauma.
Healing is never linear, and is a long drawn out process. So I still struggle, but the weight of my childhood is so much lighter now and I know my feelings are valid. I’ve had the courage to stand up to people from my past in a respectful way and tell them I’m not taking it any more.
Most days I feel strong enough to take on the battle and get on with my day. I’m also so much more aware of boundaries and burnout, and know that it’s OK to say no.
Giving Back
I am running the Bath Half Marathon in March 2025 to raise money for this incredible charity and its services, such as counselling, in the hopes the money raised will help more people like me to turn their life around and heal.
Donate to Alicia’s Bath Half marathon Fundraising page
A huge thank you to Alicia for sharing her experience. If you’re interested in writing a blog for our Your Stories platform, we’d love to hear from you. Email emilyvass@bathmind.org.uk to find out more.
Posted on: 10th February 2025