Gems amid the rocks

As hinted in my previous post, although I have had some dreadful experiences with BLPT, there have also been individuals who have made, and are making, a huge difference. So, in an attempt to redress my one-sided emotional perspective, as well as to show that there really are some fantastic, caring people who have helped me, here's an (anonomised) roll call of fame:

DB, my CMHN. She has shown me that at least one CMHT manager within BLPT can be trusted to provide support where it is needed. She has shown compassion, been non-judgemental, listened to me and provided the support I needed. She has offered extra support and gone way beyond what her job description requires her to do, I am certain.

SH, my care coordinator within the Crisis team. She has assured me I deserve the support I am getting. That support has been provided willingly; whenever I have needed to phone (outside of regular face to face contacts) I have been given time, attention and help.

J, the administrator at K CMHT. Whenever I phone (and it has happened a lot over the last few weeks) she has made sure messages are passed on or, realising that I needed to talk to someone now, has found someone. She has never once made me feel a nuisance, never once made me feel I should not be calling. I've never met her, but I trust her.

DL, my psychologist. I've already written how powerful the therapy I had with him was. Current appearances to the contrary, where I am now is so much better than where I was. Even though my sessions with him have ended, he has shown he is still willing to be supportive. He is someone who is always willing to listen to my point of view, even if we do not agree.

K, V, and L at K CMHT. These are other members of the team - social workers and CMHNs - who I have spoken to on the phone in the absence of DB. They too have been accepting, encouraged me to phone, helped me to ground myself, never made me feel like a nuisance.

I think the key characteristic that all of these people have in common is that they have treated me as a person. Not as a case. Not as a statistic. Not as a "service user". They have treated me, primarily, as a person and, I suspect, as they would like to be treated themselves.

Now, can I add gemstones to my dry stone wall? I guess it's my wall, so I can add whatever I want.