Sharing one young man’s story

Joe is a young man who has been on his own personal journey with Youth In Transition. To protect him, his name and identifying information has been changed.

It takes a village to raise and nurture a young person – regardless of upbringing and personal circumstances – and our tailored programme can help them to see their lives as worth living again.

Joe came to the programme when he was 19. Raised in several foster homes, he self-harmed and used alcohol to numb himself – often in an effort to escape from night terrors and a relentless barrage of negative thoughts. Late one evening the police picked Joe up, took him to hospital for his own protection and contacted us. Joe had reached a point where he felt he just could no longer go on, where he did not find anything in his life worthwhile, enjoyable or even remotely interesting. He felt friendless and extremely lonely.

Over the next two years, the team here at Youth In Transition wrapped services and loving care around Joe. He responded well to a combination of talking therapy with his counsellor, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, group therapy and mentoring. To help him through times when he could not be with someone, we introduced Joe to web and phone app-based programmes, which also helped ease his fear of going to sleep.

Working with the team at Youth In Transition and a local youth-friendly GP, and with help from the Rodney Mental Health Services and the local police, Joe was gradually able to get his life back – a life that most certainly would otherwise have been lost.