Nothing to Fear,
Nothing to Doubt
For Gavin, a single father, rebuilding his life after a psychotic episode, a hospital stay, and three years of unemployment was anything but easy. Taking up a suggestion from a member of the NHS Early Intervention Team, Gavin made the decision to join the Rippleacts group coaching programme in 2024.
Gavin's Story
Still impacted by the experience of his unexpected mental health breakdown, Gavin felt a strong knock to his confidence and nervousness about being around new people. However, soon fellow participants became friends and witnessing others who have undertaken certain qualifications inspired him to pursue his own goals. Gavin credited coach Louise and his fellow coaching participants for helping shift his perspective.
"Without the coaching, I wouldn't have done it, quite simply, I would have kept putting it off. I had that inspiration from people to just give it a go. The coaching group and Louise were absolutely amazing. I simply wouldn't have had the courage to break down barriers. That was the key thing for me. It was a big wall of bricks, steel and concrete. Now I break it into small bricks. What is the worst thing that would happen if you don’t succeed? It's quite simply, you reset, and if it's what you want to do, you go again. Or you go one level lower, to start with."
Since completing his coaching course, Gavin has thoroughly researched the steps needed to achieve his career goal of becoming a mental health nurse, with the aim of supporting others facing challenges similar to his own. He successfully completed a functional skills course in English and is currently pursuing another qualification in Maths; something he avoided for a long time due to a fear of failing rooted in negatives experiences at school. Having already met the necessary requirements, he is now preparing to enrol in an Access to University course, which, once completed, will pave the way for him to study Mental Health Nursing.
“It’s going to be hard work. It is blood, sweat, and tears”, Gavin highlighted. Nevertheless, participating in Rippleacts’ coaching sessions has prepared him for what is to come."
“The course was very, very well run. (…) I honestly can't describe how much
better and more confident I felt after doing it.”
Gavin alluded to a lyric from a Radiohead song: “Nothing to fear, nothing to doubt”, which serves as his general outlook on life nowadays. And his advice for future participants who are unsure about joining this programme?
“Don’t see it as a big obstacle. Just give it a go. Attend the first session, and you
can sit in the corner. That's not frowned upon. Give it a go, and then if you could
make the second session, you can do all of them.”
