Clinton Perry works for Solent Mind in the Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Network (PCN), supporting individuals with their mental health at local GP surgeries in the region. Having worked for the charity for nearly 18 months, the 35-year-old said it was coming through his own personal struggles that gave him the skills to support others in a similar situation.

Wellbeing Advisors help patients who have been referred to Solent Mind by their GP. Clinton, and the rest of his team, provide coping skills and strategies to help people manage their anxiety and depression.

He said: “I started working with Solent Mind in a peer support position and have now been a Wellbeing Advisor for 6 months. I love what I do and having faced my own mental health challenges, I can truly empathise with what our service users are going through.”

It was back in 2020 when Clinton initially connected with Solent Mind. He reached out to the charity’s NHS Talking Therapies service after his mental health took a downward spiral during the Covid pandemic.

He added: “I’d barely left the house for a year. I’d become overwhelmed with anxiety and depression, and I was in a bad place. I was dealing with past trauma and a lot of anger issues. I couldn’t see a way out.

“I was working night shifts as an Operations Supervisor in a hotel during the Covid lockdowns. Spending so much time alone during that period was incredibly challenging. It became my new normal, and when the lockdowns ended, adjusting to being around people again was even more difficult.

“I struggled to cope with work but felt too ashamed to open up to my employer about how I was feeling. Eventually, I left my job without having another lined up. After that, I stayed at home, and my mental health continued to deteriorate. I knew I needed to do something about it, and that's when I contacted NHS Talking Therapies.”

Clinton said that taking that first step to getting help was incredibly difficult, but he hasn’t looked back since.

“I grew up in a very male-dominated family where discussing feelings wasn’t something we did, so opening up to someone was incredibly difficult for me. However, once I started talking, it felt truly liberating.”

And, with the right support, the 35-year-old’s mental health started to improve.

It was a long process, but after his third round of therapy, Clinton said he started to feel considerably better. This was when his therapist asked if he’d ever considered working in mental health. He was approached to take part in a patient engagement project as a volunteer and had the opportunity to use his lived experience to help others. It was during that project when the Fareham man was put in touch with the charity’s Fareham and Gosport Wellbeing Centre, where he later became an employee.

“I’m so grateful for my therapist who mentioned working in mental health. Without him, I never would have even considered it.

“Not only do I now feel great in myself, but I also have an incredibly rewarding job that I really enjoy. Having the opportunity to make a difference to someone’s life makes me fulfilled in a way I never thought possible.”

Reflecting on his mental health journey, Clinton added: “Looking back at my life nearly 5 years ago, I feel like an entirely different person. Solent Mind’s services played a crucial role in helping me rebuild my life, and now I’m grateful for the opportunity to support others who are facing similar challenges.”