Lee's story

28 year old retail assistant Lee from Newcastle came to us for help after experiencing a suicidal crisis.

“Things got really bad for me this year. I was very down after leaving a job and a toxic relationship, I felt lonely and worried about myself and things from my past that I hadn’t dealt with kept coming into my head. My thoughts started to go to a dark place very quickly, and I felt like I didn’t want to be here anymore. I found James’ Place online and filled in a form and they saw me really quickly.

I instantly felt comfortable and welcomed in the environment of the centre, which was important to me as a trans man. I’d had therapy before at college and uni but this was a lot different. It really helped that it was face to face as it felt easier to talk and open up. The cards were really helpful as I could see all the things I was feeling visually and make sense of it. My therapist was great, she really listened to me and I felt I could bring up anything and she’d know how to deal with it. She gave me the confidence to open up to people close to me and explain what I was feeling, and helped me set goals for the future. After five therapy session I felt a massive difference in my mindset, I didn’t feel bitter anymore about other people’s happiness, I felt able to handle difficult situations and deal with things when they go wrong. I just felt much more stable.

Since I left James’ Place I am sharing more of my feelings with other people, I have moved house, I have a new girlfriend and I’m just looking forward to the future – my next goal is to learn to drive so I’m looking forward to doing that.”

If you need support please click here.

To make a donation to help men like Lee click here.