I work for SDS careers – based in Livingston. But I cover the whole of West Lothian – which gives me a lot of opportunity to work closely with partners and get a good feel for what provision is available. 

I support young people, during transition from school – then when they’ve left, to overcome barriers, gain and sustain a positive destination, and generally navigate all the options and choices out there. A lot of the clients I work with don’t have help at home so it’s a bit like a mentoring role, which I enjoy. 

We then offer guidance and support to help clients achieve their longer term career goals. I can work with young people from the age of 16 to 20 and it’s a privilege to get the chance to offer this long term support to those who need it. 

I personally feel S.M.I.L.E. came along at just the right time. As a Trusted Professional, I’m acutely aware of the lack of counselling support available for vulnerable young people. This is a sentiment that’s echoed amongst other Trusted Professionals in West Lothian. 

I’m sure most would agree our work is very rewarding but also challenging at times.  And recently, I experienced one of those challenging times. I was working with a young man, about to leave school, let’s call him ‘Lewis’ for the sake of anonymity. 

‘Lewis’ recently gained a place at West Lothian College doing Sport and Fitness which, on the face of it, is great. He starts in August. But when you scratch below the surface, he’d also been feeling really low for some time and was beginning to feel desperate. He had no hope for the future. A couple of months ago he told me he wanted to end his own life and had thought of ways of doing so. I knew he wasn’t kidding or trying to seek attention. He would always play things down and hated being in the limelight. So I had to take this seriously. 

I was racking my brain, frantically trying to remember the suicide prevention training I received many years ago. Basically, I was just trying to keep ‘Lewis’ safe until I could pass him onto someone trained to help. I felt a wee bit like a rabbit in the headlights but did my best to remain calm and give ‘Lewis’ the impression things would be fine. 

‘Lewis’ was already on a waiting list after seeing his GP, to receive help from the team at St John’s, but had been waiting for months. I was genuinely concerned if he was made to wait any longer it may be too late. One of the first things we did was phone the Samaritans. 

After ‘Lewis’ borrowed my phone to speak with them for over an hour that afternoon, he looked relieved, as if a weight had been lifted. This was also a relief for me. But I then needed to tap into some ongoing local support to gain 1:1 counselling to help him get through what was troubling him. 

I’d worked with Declan before and referred clients to him in his role as a council Key Worker but never in a ‘S.M.I.L.E.’ capacity.  But Declan had kept me in the loop regarding his plans for S.M.I.L.E. and how the service was available for clients. 

So I contacted Declan to ask if he or another S.M.I.L.E. counsellor was able to meet with ‘Lewis’, and suggest the support needed then go from there. Declan couldn’t have been better. He agreed to meet ‘Lewis’ the very next day. I was invited along to sit in on the first appointment, where I completed the referral form. 

It was clear ‘Lewis’ was in safe hands. Declan’s professional approach, care, empathy and overall supportive, non-judgemental manner could not have been better. ‘Lewis’ was immediately put at ease. Declan’s attention to detail was brilliant – I felt there was no stone unturned. For example, Declan even rang me a couple of hours before the appointment to ask what kind of juice ‘Lewis’ drinks so he could go out and buy some. I know it sounds like a wee thing, but I really felt my client was in safe hands. He was working with an organisation that genuinely cared and wanted him to feel comfortable, putting him at ease from the start. Declan quickly built rapport by discovering mutual areas of interest and lightening the mood which relaxed ‘Lewis’ hugely. 

As you can probably tell from the way I’m telling this story, I was more than happy with the support S.M.I.L.E. provided. From the initial contact with Declan, to the ongoing support ‘Lewis’ received from Laura, the service provided by S.M.I.L.E. could not have been better. 

And as I mentioned, the speed of turnaround was also really impressive. Declan saw my client less than 24 hours after initial contact. I know this is not going to be the case with all referrals, but Declan and I both felt this was an emergency and S.M.I.L.E. could not have acted quicker. 

‘Lewis’, until recently was still receiving support from S.M.I.L.E. and so far things are going well thanks to this timely intervention. ‘Lewis’ has fed back to me that he’s feeling so much better thanks to the ongoing support Laura was providing. 

I have no doubt that ‘Lewis’ received the service he needed. He feels so much better now, both in terms of how he sees himself but also his general outlook and optimism for life moving forward. He’s like a different person. 

As a Trusted Professional, I can definitely see how valuable S.M.I.L.E. is locally and the difference it’s going to make both now and in the future. There’s no doubt about it. I have already passed on my own thoughts and experiences concerning S.M.I.L.E. to other Trusted Professionals within SDS and have a feeling that there may be more referrals coming in S.M.I.L.E.’s direction. 

And I have mixed feelings when I say that. On the one hand, it’s very sad that so many YP are in the position they need help to overcome the emotional hurt and pain they’re experiencing. It’s clearly a major issue in our society at the moment. It’s not for me to speculate why, or to try to go into the reasons for this. I’m just really glad that there is this precious support in place for those who need it. I’d like to say thanks to everyone at S.M.I.L.E. and all the very best for the future.