Nick's story

“I’d been feeling suicidal for a while, over a year or more. Five years ago my mum passed away which was a terrible shock, and a year later I had a stroke. The anniversary of my mum’s death is always a horrible time of year, and this year all my feelings and emotions started to come to a head and I was at serious risk of acting on my suicidal thoughts. At 3am one morning I realised I had a choice – find some help or end my life. I started googling and came across James’ Place.

From what I read on the website it seemed like it would suit me. I’d had counselling in the past once a week but I just felt it wasn’t really going anywhere. I needed therapy but I also wanted some practical help, a plan of how to move forward, rather than just talking about my past.  I filled in the form online and was called in very soon afterwards for an appointment. The building was absolutely beautiful, which is one the reasons it appealed to me. I wanted to go there, it didn’t feel clinical.

My therapist was excellent, she made me feel very comfortable. I liked chatting to the receptionist when I came in for my appointments. I liked that it was just for men, that made me feel more comfortable. It’s been a really helpful experience and I still attend James’ Place now as part of a peer support group. It was what I needed to help me come out of my crisis and see a future again.”

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