Finding a local debt support group

Willing2Learn

sj1983 wrote: »

I am in counselling for depression (not just to do with debt) but my counselor has only scraped the surface of my debt problems, and as it was NHS I've had all my sessions now.

The anxiety is a big problem for me as I worry sick about people finding out that I am in debt (people see me as a very happy person, an achiever, and I get so exhausted living up to that persona). I can't talk to my friends or family about the problem as I don't want them to know I'm a failure. They don't know how bad my depression is either, they just think I saw someone for a few weeks to talk through problems that came about when I lost my job last year (I am working now).

sj1983 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice about further free counselling - I will investigate this week, I'm thinking a charity like Mind might have that sort of service.

I wanted to focus on your emotional and psychological well-being for a moment (hope that is okay with you). Really good idea to contact Mind by the way - and a great suggestion from bubblebath to seek further counselling. Mind has offices all over the country and their centres either offer counselling or will be able to make a referral to an appropriate external service.

It is so important that you address the underlying issues that appear to be have been causing you distress for such a long time. You difficulty talking to your family and friends and your feelings of being a failure are a couple of the classical symptoms of poor mental health and depression. The evidence, if looked at in detail, would probably indicate that you are not a failure and that your life is full of successes and achievements. It is possible that you are trapped in a pattern of unhelpful patterns of thought, feeding you emotions, feeding back into your thoughts and creating a cycle of depressive thoughts and emotions. Well you know what? Since those patterns have become a type of subconscious habit, you can learn, with support, a load of new habits that can help you become that happy person you wish to be.

Enough waffle for now. Just so you know too, there are a number of schemes, in some regions, that offer free or negotiated low-cost counselling for individuals on low income. All they require is evidence of low income or financial difficulties. I've had service users who have negotiated fees as low as £5/session and a few who have received the treatment for free. The fact you are working would not make a difference as long as you could show that your current financial circumstances meant you would not otherwise be able to receive the service and that initial assessment indicates the therapy would be beneficial.

sj1983

I am absolutely overwhelmed by all the kind comments and thoughtful suggestions. I've felt so alone for such a long time, it is so comforting to be able to share my story and my feelings here with people who are so willing to give their time to me. Thank you so much.

station296 that's an amazing achievement - that really gives me hope that I can turn the situation around.

Tixy thank you for the suggestion of trying to get the interest frozen myself - it's definitely worth a shot so I'll have a look at that template. It would make such a difference to the speed at which I can pay everything off.

Time_to_face_the_music

Hi sj1983 :hello:

Please come and join us on the DMP & Mutual Support Thread. We would really like to see you there

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3723081