Matthew was 22 years old when he saw his Family Works counsellor about severe anxiety that led him to low self-worth.
Since the pressure of Covid-19 impacted various delays, Matthew’s court case was extended which had a significant effect on his mental health, wellbeing, and everyday life. While fighting for his innocence, Matthew was sentenced to home detention.
His prolonged case contributed to low self-esteem which led to fixation about what members of the public would think of him. Things were not looking bright for Matthew; excessive worry was not helping his self-worth or moving him forward optimistically.
Fortunately, positive encouragement and coping strategies from his counsellor involving meditation, mindfulness, and identification of positive personality traits helped Matthew move in a positive direction. His counsellor conducted what is called the “Kei Te Pehea Pillars.” This is a client assessment tool which is used three times throughout support and addresses seven life areas of the assessment. The client is asked to do a rating between 1 – 10 (1 being low and 10 being great).
Matthew could positively plan for his future ahead and envision how that would look for him once he completed his home detention.
As time progressed and after counselling was completed, Matthew reached out to his counsellor to update her on the improvement. As his home detention was about to reach an end, he became excited about opportunities that he could create for himself as he was moving forward.
Sometimes anxiety, guilt, or shame can cloud our judgement and perception of ourselves, but it shows that with proper help and effective coping strategies, one has a chance to look towards a brighter future.
(Names have been changed to protect the identity of the client)
