Massimo Pamitsch, Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist for the Ealing Talking Therapies Service shared his experience using the Keeping Well Service, scroll down to watch and listen to his story.
When Massimo found it difficult to juggle work commitments and his personal life, whilst going through Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, he reached out to the Keeping Well Service.
In February last year, Massimo got engaged to his fiancée who lived in America.
In what should have been a celebratory time, Massimo began feeling isolated due to the lockdown restrictions prohibiting oversea travel.
He said: “Lockdown added a different level of stress to my life. I felt my life had become just work and I felt trapped. All my hobbies were taken away I didn't have any possibility of seeing the people I love other than remotely.
I was starting to get a sense, of what was coming, you know, the signs start to be familiar not really feeling like getting up in the morning, feeling overwhelmed by the workload.”
As a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist for the Ealing Talking Therapies Service, Massimo was familiar with our service.
When his line manager also advised that the Keeping Well Service could help and support, he was offered free, confidential counselling sessions very quickly.
Massimo said: “I felt like my life had become my work really, which I cherish but become very unbalanced. Keeping Well, you know, in a sense was a life saver because it gave me something to hang on and something to step in, in order to manage my mood so I could keep on working efficiently.”
Reflecting on his experience, Massimo believes in the value of NHS and health and social care colleagues to ‘be given a specific tool to not only look after our mental health but intervene as soon as we see something that's not working’
He said: “It was really good experience. You know, I felt listened to, I felt understood. I think that it's important to work with someone you trust and you feel comfortable with.
I really much appreciated that I needed help back then in that precise moment, and that's what I've been given”
Keeping Well is a partnership between the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Services provided by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and West London NHS Trust.
Our service is here to provide wellbeing and psychological support to all NHS staff in North West London, all staff in care/residential homes in North West London and all London Ambulance Service staff.
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