Psychological Wellbeing Service successfully supports woman to conquer her fear
A lady we have been supporting in Warrington credits our free computerised therapy with getting her life back.
Helen Berry, 40, became practically housebound during the first lockdown, when a terror of driving on the motorway spiralled into a disabling fear of leaving the house on her own at all.
But within just seven weeks of starting home-based online and telephone support sessions with Psychological Wellbeing Services, Helen was able to independently walk out of her front door and get back behind the wheel.
Recruitment consultant Helen said: "Two years ago I had a panic attack while driving on the motorway and had avoided fast roads since. My fear got worse and I also wouldn't drive on roads where it wasn't easy to stop.
"Then when the first lockdown happened last March, I got out the habit of driving as we weren't going anywhere. I soon realised I wasn't prepared to drive the car even if I needed to.
Helen then reached the point where she didn't want to leave the house alone at all, and became dependent on her partner Ian to drive or walk everywhere with her and their two children
Aware that she needed some help, Helen called the mental health charity MIND, who put her in touch with our Psychological Wellbeing Service. We offered six sessions of online therapy, called CCBT (computerised cognitive behavioural therapy).
Helen says that she was initially sceptical about the benefits of computer-based support, but agreed to give it a go.
She said: "Once a week I did a combination of online exercises that made me start to tackle my negative thoughts and practical exposure to my fears by leaving the house and driving my car. It made me be braver and get outside of my comfort zone.
"Each week I also had telephone follow up support with a lovely lady called Sarah. I found this so important and it kept me on track, because left to my own devices, I wouldn't have completed the sessions.
"I was also able to chat to Sarah on email, and just knowing there was someone there made me feel less alone. It took me about ten hours in total, which is absolutely nothing considering it got me back out of the house and driving again."
Helen admits she has never enjoyed driving and is still no petrolhead, but after completing the therapy, she now sees it as a necessary evil.
She said: "I learned to drive relatively late, at 26, as it was important for my job. I can vividly remember my instructor saying to me that it didn't matter how safely I drove, it was the other drivers I had to be aware of. The fear this innocent statement produced kind of stuck with me and grew over time.
"I can't say I'm now the greatest fan of driving, but I do it for the benefits that it brings to mine and my family's lives. Having become so isolated in the house during lockdowns, I am now more scared of feeling that alone and stuck again than I am of getting behind the wheel."
After completing her final session, Helen emailed Sarah a picture of herself driving on the M62 with a caption saying: “I did it!! Not once but 3 times! I wasn’t even scared, just kept hearing you in my head saying it doesn’t matter what surface it is and I flew down there, hit 80mph at one point, slow, middle & fast lane!!! I honestly can’t believe it! I cried tears of joy!! Wish I’d done it weeks ago!!! I’m still on a high. Got a few more trips planned this weekend and next weekend I’m tackling the Runcorn bridge as I was avoiding that too. Can’t thank you enough.”
Sarah Booth, one of our psychological wellbeing practitioners, said: "Helen worked so hard to complete her CCBT course and pushed herself on through her 'homework' tasks, despite initially finding them daunting. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and her story shows how quickly someone can start to turn their lives around when they have the right support in place.
"Helen's story is not an isolated case. The overwhelming majority of people who complete our CCBT sessions find themselves no longer restricted by their mental health issues."
In February 2021, our Psychological Wellbeing Service achieved a 91 percent recovery rate with people who used the service.
And Helen? Helen and her family have just booked a holiday to Cornwall, and she plans to share the 350-mile drive with her partner.
Anyone registered with a Warrington or Wigan GP can contact Psychological Wellbeing Service on masp.wellbeing@nhs.net.
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Psychological Wellbeing Service
Our Psychological Wellbeing Service offers support for those who are struggling with mild to moderate common mental health conditions. The support is free, is available to those living in Warrington and Wigan and waiting lists are short.
Mental health services
Our mental health services provide person-centred support for people living with a range of mental health conditions, whether mild to moderate, complex, challenging or long-term.
