Therapy for 20 suicidal young people in Hackney

After an absolutely incredible response to our Gateway Challenge appeal, and with the donations and support of people like you, we managed to raise just over £3,000. This was enough to get us our permenant spot on Global Giving, and met our fundraising target to enable us to help 20 suicidal young people in Hackney. Thank you so much!

One month on, and we have used this funding towards therapy and advice for 4 young people so far (things are usually quiet during the summer holidays). Two were 18 or under, and the other two were 21. The young people we work with are dealing with some of the most complex challenges we can imagine, sometimes facing issues like abuse, becoming homeless and risking expulsion from school all within the same few weeks. In situations like these, a whole-team approach is needed to make sure their every need is supported, and that's exactly what we do here at Off Centre. 

Julie's story

(Names and some details have been changed to protect the identity of our clients)

Julie is 18, and she comes from a Muslim family whose conservative traditions she strongly rejects. Her childhood was extremely traumatising for her, due to severe bullying and domestic violence. She also has a physical disability which makes it hard to walk very far. When she first came to us for support, despite being very academically successful, she had dropped out of her first year of University due to her severe social anxiety. She struggled to keep eye contact, and even riding the bus with others on it would make her feel panic. She felt paranoid that she would be attacked whenever she left her home, but she also spent several nights each month sleeping rough after arguments with her parents. When she arrived to Off Centre she also said that she had made plans to end her life, and felt very depressed.

We offered her Art Therapy and worked with her in weekly individual sessions. She spent a lot of time focussed on creating images of her home life, contrasted with images of how she would like to be living. She said she felt it much easier to talk when she did not have to keep eye contact with our therapist, and could focus on using paints and pencils, but gradually over time they built a strong therapeutic relationship and she was able to sit and speak at length without needing arts materials.

She made fantastic progress, and said “I’ve become more comfortable about other people , I am now more open & honest, & talkative to people” She began to work at building up her confidence in tackling social situations, and is now able to travel on public transport and spend time with her close friends without feeling panicked. With the support of our Caseworker, she even managed to attend an interview for a new University course starting next year! Our Caseworker also made sure she had access to emergency hostel accommodation on nights when she felt unable to safely stay in her parents’ home.

It's stories like Julie's that show how important support like ours can be for young people at their most vulnerable moments. And we're so grateful to you for helping us to continue our work. We look forward to keeping you up to date in the future.