Joe reached out to his charity when he was struggling with his mental health.

*Content warning – this story talks about suicide, which some readers may find emotionally challenging. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Joe has an incredibly high-pressured job at HMRC, where he takes great pride in being a civil servant and looking out for other people. But after the passing of his grandad, followed closely by his mum’s cancer diagnosis, and accompanied by the feeling of burnout – Joe had a breakdown.

“I remember the night before my grandad’s funeral; I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and thought – tonight’s the night I’m going to end it.”

Luckily Joe’s partner is a mental health first aider and was able to give him the right support at the time. In the following weeks, his colleagues encouraged him to reach out to the Charity for a wellbeing conversation.

“The person on the call guided my thoughts and helped me reflect in a way I’ve never done before. I felt like I lost my sense of identity and wasn’t sure what I was giving back… and that call helped me remember where I was adding value.”

We were able to give Joe access to the Thrive app, allowing him to access mental health support and talking therapy.

“If I hadn’t reached out, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I actually feel happy for the first time in years.”

Since the age of 7, Emily has experienced mental health issues and been given different diagnoses, therapies and support. However, none of it worked for her in the long-term.

Until one day, she noticed people talking about neurodiversity on social media and identified with their stories.

“They were talking about what it’s like to have autism and ADHD and I thought – that’s me. It’s around the same time I started working for the Department of Education; I think the Civil Service is really good at supporting neurodiversity… and I chose to work within special educational needs and disabilities because I want to make the world better for kids like me.”

After this, Emily noticed a post about the Charity for Civil Servants on her intranet and decided to reach out for wellbeing support. Through our partnership with Autism and ADHD, we were able to pay towards sessions with a coach who specialises in supporting neurodiverse adults.

“I was able to get an official diagnosis and the coach helped me see how it was nothing to be scared of… The coping mechanisms the coach has taught me have been lifechanging…

I contacted the Charity at an extremely low point in my life when I was feeling pretty hopeless, but their support made me feel heard… like I wasn’t alone.”

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