All change for Sandra

Team changes at the council where Sandra has worked for the past seven years had her on edge. As new work responsibilities and strained relationships with colleagues piled up, so too did her frustrations and anxiety. Previously light-hearted and bubbly Sandra became tearful, snappy, and in danger of taking time off sick. As colleagues and her family noticed the decline in her mental health, Sandra knew something had to change. 

“I was moved to a new team at short notice, followed by the announcement of a restructure – it was a double blow for me,” recalls Sandra, who is 62. “I have a past diagnosis of PTSD and had time off from my job a couple of years ago. The sudden team changes brought back all my feelings of doom and gloom.  

“I love my job, meeting and greeting people, helping them access council services, but there was just so much going on. It was a real culture shock, and I was heading to a very bad place again. My manager gave me the phone number for Able Futures and explained I could self-refer to get some confidential support.” 

Able Futures provides nine months of no cost and quickly available support to people experiencing common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. After speaking with her Able Futures mental health coach Kelly – albeit very tearfully for the first couple of sessions – Sandra’s mindset began to change. 

“Kelly comes from the same part of the county as me and had her own experience of a council restructure so there was an immediate bond,” continues Sandra, who completed her Able Futures sessions in August 2025. “She quickly assured me that my feelings were perfectly normal and gave me tips and tools to focus on the day’s positives, rather than the negatives. The first task was to not take work home in my head. At the end of the day, Kelly said to listen to music on my drive home. I soon found myself singing along – it was the start of me changing, this time for the better.  

“Kelly was very consistent in her advice and gave me realistic goals and things to try. We spoke for an hour, every month, for nine months. A few sessions in she said: ‘I can hear the change in your voice’. I could tell I was becoming me again.” 

Kelly helped Sandra think differently and react differently to situations at work and to discover good things from a bad situation: 

“I began to accept that change at work affected everyone, it wasn’t personal to me,” Sandra concludes. “I learnt to accept what I couldn’t change and to go with the flow – something I’d not been good at before. Most of all, I rediscovered my hobbies after Kelly encouraged me to take more time for myself. I was an avid swimmer in the past and have started going again regularly with friends. I’m also back into horse riding after a 25 year break! Signing up for the gym is next on my list. 

“Kelly was a godsend for me. Able Futures really works, and because of them so do I! I continued working throughout all the team changes and would undoubtedly have been signed off sick without Able Futures’ help. I’m so glad my manager gave me their number; all it took was a phone call.” 

Able Futures is delivered by Ingeus and a group of partners as part of the government’s Access to Work Mental Health Support Service across England, Scotland and Wales. It supports working people, employers and apprenticeship providers with expert mental health guidance and advice.