John
John is 18 years old. He had lost both parents by the age of 15. He lives with his sister, her partner and niece. Loss of parents affected his mental health with suicidal and depressive thoughts and feelings. He would use weed as a coping mechanism. He did have a school counsellor in year 11.
A few months ago he found out he may become a Dad although subject to a DNA test after birth due in May. He also discovered that his deceased dad is not his biological dad. I have been seeing John since December 2020.
During the first lockdown it created a break in face-to-face meetings hence the extended period. Over the last couple of months, through face-to-face meetings, we have been working on various issues that have helped to support his emotional and mental health and reinforce previous strategies:
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Relationships both home and work
- Responsibilities of being a parent
- Bereavement
- Betrayal
What the future may look like with regard to retraining/education/employment
John has talked about having to do a lot of growing up over the last few months in light of the events about his dad and possibly becoming a parent. I have noticed a certain level of maturity some of which had been forced on him. He has a better understanding of his mental health issues now and what he needs to do to support this. He was able to obtain employment and is able to talk openly to selected work colleagues about some of his struggles and to be given the space on down days. Also he talks about some of his work colleagues being open with him about some of their mental health struggles current and past. He feels better supported at work as well now. This support has been a lifeline to get him to a place where he could return to work.
