Maxi's Story
“It was good to finally be able to say my anxieties out loud during sessions, I have never been able to do that before apart from on a forum!”
Worried about my identity
“Hi, I'm Maxi! When I first came to Response, I struggled with my identity and felt very isolated as I wasn't in education or work. I identify as Non Binary and was worried about how my family would react to this.”
Anxiety about sessions
“I was initially very anxious about starting the sessions, so my first few meetings were done through Zoom, which helped. Then I started going in person.”
The sessions allowed me to open up
“During Reframe sessions, we explored the stress I was under and the impact this had on my day-to-day life. The sessions involved low-level CBT approaches to help me unpick my unhelpful thinking styles and a space for me to be able to safely explore my sexuality without feeling shame or fear. It feels so good to be able to say this all out loud, I have never been able to do that before apart from on a forum!”
Coming out
“I wanted to come out to my mum but did not feel able to do so out of fear she would reject me or disregard my feelings. I also worked with people at SOFEA to envisage how my future could look without the fear and anxiety that came with how I thought about my identity. My mum actually started coming to my sessions and was supported to understand my identity.”
Finally expressing my true identity
“Towards the end of the sessions, I started dressing how I wanted to and expressing my identity visually. I now feel so confident in myself, and I can't believe I can come to a session dressed as who I feel like I finally am.”