The Youth Trust has been working on the Isle of Wight for over 28 years and has made a positive input to the wellbeing of people locally. The Trust is a charitable, independent organisation offering counselling, advice, information and support services to young people aged 25 and under on the Isle of Wight and, in some cases their parents or carers. The services provided are delivered by an experienced and qualified team who follow the National Guidelines for Counselling, offering a fast, flexible and confidential service to young people who are experiencing difficulties.
Here’s the story of Katie, aged 14, who has been helped by the Trust.
Katie had a very difficult young childhood; her Mother and Father were alcoholics and frequent drug users. Her Mother also had mental health problems and on occasions would be very violent towards her and her older brother.
Katie was taken away from her home environment at the age of 8, and it was decided that she should live with her Nan. She had a wonderful relationship with her Nan, and was very happy with her until very sadly a year ago Nan died. Since then, Katie had been living with her Father, step-Mother and step-Brother. Her Father had stopped drinking, but he was still a regular cannabis user. Their relationship had never been a close one and Katie felt neglected by him, she felt he didn’t really want her there and she believed he much preferred her step-Brother, who was at times quite aggressive towards her. Katie was feeling very sad, lonely and scared. She clearly missed her Nan greatly and she was living in an environment where she felt un-loved and vulnerable.
Katie had been seriously self-harming for the past six months. She had had suicidal thoughts, but never acted on them. Her behaviour at school was suffering dramatically. She was continually getting into trouble and skipping lessons.
It was suggested by Katie’s boyfriend that she ought to see her GP as he was very concerned by her self-harming and very low mood, Katie’s GP referred her to the Youth Trust for counselling. At first she was extremely difficult to engage with, eye contact was non-existent and her vocabulary was monosyllabic.
Gradually Katie began to talk more freely and she told me how depressed she was feeling since her Nan had died. We talked a great deal about her Nan. Katie changed considerably when she spoke about her, her face lightened and her mood seemed to lift. She told me stories of when Nan was alive and how Nan had cared for her and loved her. Katie brought in photos of Nan to show me and gradually I began to see Katie’s mood improve. It seemed she had not had the opportunity to grieve. We also focussed on her life at home and Katie was beginning to feel more able to stand up to her step-Brother and his behaviour. Her boyfriend was an enormous support to her and we discussed other family and friends around her who would also support her emotionally.
Katie did very well in counselling, by the end of our sessions her self-harming had significantly reduced and she was experimenting with other safer ways of managing her feelings. Her behaviour at school was also improving and as her emotional strength and mood improved her relationship with her family at home also became much more manageable.
Cowes Classics Week participants are invited to make an online donation on this website whilst entering or booking socials.
You can learn more about the trust from the official website www.iowyouthtrust.org
