Service User’s personal accounts of psychosis, recovery and working with THEIS
The Early Intervention Service has been incredibly helpful in my recovery from psychosis. Coming to terms with experiencing a first episode of psychosis was very frightening and something I found extremely difficult. However, the staff at THEIS showed compassion and patience, giving me the time and support to recover without judgement and helping me focus on moving forward rather than on the fact that I had been unwell. Having someone from the THEIS team available to talk to helped me feel less alone in my recovery journey and reassured me that support was always there when I needed it. (L – THEIS Service User).
THEIS were there for me when I had psychosis. The staff were excellent from consultant psychology and care coordination. They took time to explore my illness and provided every time to me in the community and also an inpatient. They got it right the first time. The continuity of care was first class not just for me but for my family also. THEIS still supports me today promoting good mental health and physical health. I felt I could trust People even when I was at my worst, but this gave me good goals and positive outcomes continued progression in my recovery with good signposting of IPS allowing me to live a life in remission. (K – THEIS Service User)
I wanted to express my gratitude to my care coordinator who is always there to support almost every aspect of my life not just my mental and physical health. Her attentive and caring attitude made me feel welcomed every time we met. I really appreciate other services provided by THEIS as well - CBT, employment support and social support, all very friendly and supportive in helping me reintegrate into the society. (C – THEIS Service User)
I was taken in initially by THEIS during my struggle with acute psychosis in 2023. My initial introduction was with [MB], my mental health coordinator. He was very comforting during what was a very difficult and frightening time. I was then introduced to Dr [EO], who helped in my recovery from Psychosis. In my time under the service, the team were life savers. They were always on hand when I needed urgent support. I could always reach out to [MB] when I needed help, and he would also check on me periodically when he knew I was going through a tough time. They were both huge support systems during the loss of my mother. I was with the service for almost 4 years, and even when the early intervention period was over, they kept me on their service as they knew I needed their support, of which I am very grateful for. I have made much progress since then, and I am sincerely grateful to them from the bottom of my heart. (M – THEIS Service User).
THEIS Service User’s mother gave an account of family therapy and carer support...
Some of the sessions involved a cards system where there were many cards with lots of different feelings and thoughts written on them which we had to categorise. This was a very helpful system, particularly for someone who found it hard to talk, being able to select a card to represent a feeling/thought really helped us understand each other and the situation better.
Having a psychologist [SC] as well as a family support worker [SK] was a brilliant pairing as we were able to get both of their expertise and insights and they steered the sessions in the most sensitive and understanding way. [SC] and [SK] are both excellent at their jobs.
Prior to that we had been so overwhelmed and busy, so these sessions were the first opportunity we had as a family to get together and talk about these things and to process, and to let everything out in a healthy and empathetic environment.
THEIS Service User (F) provided a detailed account of their experiences of psychosis, recovery and working with THEIS…
I had my first-episode psychosis in April 2024 and after the initial hospitalisation and critical period I was shortly after referred to THEIS where I began my journey with them.
THEIS has been an incredible support to me as the onset of psychosis was at least in my case very sudden and with no noticeable warnings at the time. Even after the initial recovery I kept feeling scared and confused about what happened to me and everything that THEIS offered helped ease these worries and contributed immensely to my full recovery.
Throughout my 2 year journey with THEIS I had regular contact with my Care Coordinator, had regular meetings with a psychiatrist, completed a significant amount of 1-1 CBT psychology sessions, had a few months of family therapy sessions with my family, attended “Recovery Group” sessions and had many other resources such as a community connector, a specialist on re-entry to work and volunteering association contacts.
Each of these things helped me greatly in gaining more knowledge about psychosis and what happened to me.
The 1-1 CBT sessions helped me a lot to reflect on myself and my mental health in general, identifying possible behaviours, risks and causes and helping me understand myself better and understand how to avoid future episodes.
The meetings with the psychiatrist were an important moment to discuss any additional symptoms, having regular check ups and monitoring medication.
The regular catch ups with the Care Coordinator were extremely important for me as they were a personal space to talk about anything related to what happened to me, coordinate with the other THEIS activities and just feeling that the THEIS service was regularly there for me throughout the whole journey.
The Recovery Group helped me gain general knowledge about psychosis on one side and specific contacts and resources offered by THEIS on the other.
The personalised family therapy sessions helped the people close to me understand psychosis, as well as giving all of us tools to communicate better and to be conscious of possible early signs
The re-entry to work specialist [Working Well Trust – Retention] helped greatly in the initial period after hospitalisation where I needed to carefully calibrate my personal approach to work and the community connector helped me later brainstorm and figure out activities and groups I could join
After 2 years with THEIS I can say I feel fully recovered and I know that each of the activities above, and especially the people who directed them, had an incredible positive impact on me and my overall health.
THEIS Service User (M) also shared with us their experiences of psychosis, recovery and working with THEIS…
I experienced two episodes of psychosis and was assigned to THEIS for a period of three years. I have experienced two lengthy hospital stays, home treatment, family work and individual talking therapy all under the care of THEIS. Throughout my illness, the care and treatment has been consistently excellent with the professionals at THEIS demonstrating compassion, thoughtfulness and discretion. All the individuals and teams who looked after me did so brilliantly in difficult and challenging circumstances.
When I had my first episode, my insight into what was happening to me was very limited. I experienced a wide range of symptoms associated with psychosis; hallucinations, disordered thinking, delusions and a general detachment from reality. Despite this, THEIS navigated the illness I faced expertly and respectfully. They took me on a journey from being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, and wondering what on earth was going on, to being discharged over a period of several months, during which I was looked after diligently by nurses, consultants, therapists, doctors and other professionals at various points. Each of them was a credit to the NHS.
Once I was discharged from hospital, I was looked after brilliantly by the team from initial daily check ins, through to weekly and then less frequent but regular review meetings. They ensured that my recovery progressed and that at particularly difficult stages of the process of coming to terms with what had happened I was supported well. Initially I found it very difficult to get through getting to grips with the ongoing illness I faced but I was supported well through this.
The talking therapy I received, which took the form of both one to one and family work, has been transformational. While things with the psychosis got a lot worse before they got better, through the talking therapy sessions I was able to improve and grow both as a patient and overall as a person to a point beyond where I was at when my illness occurred. My relationships with my family and friends have been significantly improved and my resilience and wellbeing as an individual has substantially developed.
While psychosis and severe mental illness are terrible conditions to face, the support, care and treatment provided by THEIS gave me the best possible chance of making a good and full recovery, which I am pleased to say I have now made. I am back in full time work and have progressed through the difficulties that serious mental illness causes such as financial difficulty, lots of administrative burden and stresses and strains placed on relationships with the people around someone who is going through episodes of psychosis. Throughout this experience I have been able to rely on the support and guidance of the various services offered by THEIS. There is absolutely no way my recovery would have happened without the high quality and comprehensive interventions provided by THEIS.
External links to personal accounts of psychosis and recovery:
