Feedback and Case Studies

At Brandon Centre, we make a life-changing impact on young people and families through our wide range of services. We are proud to share the powerful stories and feedback from those who have benefited from our support.

Below, you can explore case studies and testimonials that demonstrate the positive difference we make in improving mental health and wellbeing. Take a look to see how we are helping young people and families thrive.

Our Case Studies

Nadia’s Journey

Change is hard. We all come across it, and we all know how challenging it can be.

But sometimes, these challenges and feelings can spiral. They can turn into something more complex.

This is what Nadia was experiencing when she came to us.

Living at home with her mum, dad and two sisters, Nadia was a positive, thoughtful teenager who enjoyed running and dreamed of studying drama at uni. However, since coming out as queer last year, her relationship with her dad has become tense and strained. With the added stress of being in sixth form, Nadia struggled with the intense pressure to succeed and fears of letting everyone down. The knock-on effect of these challenges created feelings of isolation, anxiety and low mood. At times, Nadia was also having thoughts of self-harm, which she was finding harder to manage.

To help Nadia, we agreed on exploratory psychotherapy to work on three main goals unique to her situation:

1. Learn to quiet her negative thoughts
2. Manage a healthy relationship with her dad
3. Find a balance between school responsibilities and her passions

And so, Nadia’s therapy journey began.

From day one, the focus was on managing Nadia’s intrusive thoughts of self-harm. To reduce their intensity, we explored coping methods for processing difficult emotions, while encouraging Nadia to practice more self-compassion. We also drafted a safety plan together, one that she felt comfortable enough to share with her sister.

Once Nadia started to feel a little more confident in managing her thoughts, we turned our attention to her relationship with her dad. Giving Nadia the space to feel in control of her privacy and time, we worked on setting some considered, healthy boundaries.

During her sessions, Nadia reconnected with her love of drama and running, rediscovering the things that made her happy. And at the same time, we worked on letting go of perfectionism, especially when it came to academic achievement. We wanted her to remove that added pressure and learn that it’s totally ok to make mistakes.

Slowly but surely, things started to improve.

Nadia’s habitual negative thought spiral diminished, the tensions with her dad had loosened, and she found new confidence in a romantic relationship that added to her happiness.

Every now and then, Nadia worried that her low mood might return. So we used our final sessions to equip her with skills and techniques she might need to combat these feelings, as well as connecting her with a local LGBTQ+ group to meet those with shared experiences.

Nadia’s journey of discovery, growth and resilience enabled her to tackle life changes. Breaking them down to be less scary and more manageable, whatever they might be.

This case study is for illustrative purposes only. The names, identifying details and certain circumstances have been altered to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of individuals and organisations involved. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

Testimonials