Ali lived in fear, unsure when her father would next subject her to abuse. The support she found at One YMCA improved her mental health, helped her find coping strategies and boosted her self-esteem. Here’s her story…
I was abused by my dad as a child and into my teens. I never knew when I’d next be running for my life from him. I’d quite often run out of places to escape to so I would have to brace myself for whatever was about to happen. Afterwards, he would always tell me he would never do it again, only for it to happen a few days or weeks later.
This constant threat of abuse left me feeling worried and paranoid, panicking whenever he was in a bad mood that he would take it out on me again. It made being at home a living hell and I would constantly be terrified.
I reached a stage where I couldn’t live with it any longer and was put in contact with One YMCA. They gave me somewhere safe to live away from the threat of violence.
But my experiences have had lasting consequences on my life and mental health, making my daily life incredibly difficult to deal with, even years after the abuse stopped. It’s damaged both my self-esteem and confidence.
How One YMCA helped my mental health
Over time I was able to explain in detail what my life was like living at home to a Housing Support Worker. She made it incredibly easy to do so for a topic as sensitive and upsetting as it is.
After this, as part of my support plan, I would see my Support Worker daily even if I didn’t have an appointment booked. We would discuss anything that was bothering me and they would always check in on me if I hadn’t been seen for a while and had been upset beforehand.
They recommended I attend MIND groups, which I did for a while before they became too much or I felt they weren’t working.
The importance of having someone to turn to
I benefitted greatly from having someone to talk to that I felt comfortable with and it was important for me to be able to see my support worker if I felt like I was entering a crisis. Relationships are something I find incredibly difficult to handle, so it’s been important to have someone I can confide in and this has been the case during my stay here.
To others in the same situation I would say that the support team is there to help them and that they will do everything they can to help, judgementfree. I’d also tell them there is no shame in asking for help.
