Fatima accessed Shama’s bereavement counselling service in May; after losing her husband.  She had heard through her colleagues that Shama may be able to help her as she was unable to deal with her overwhelming feelings of bereavement and grief.  She felt extremely vulnerable and isolated; and would spend hours weeping about losing her husband months before she asked for counselling sessions. She had never worked, and could speak little English, and was left with 6 young children to take care for her. Life was daunting and she felt hopeless. 

Her overwhelming feelings of grief had affected her psychosomatically and she was suffering from a range of symptoms including headaches, joint pains and anxiety attacks. She accessed our holistic therapies to help relieve the physical symptoms of her grief and anxiety. 

Through her counselling sessions she was able to express how she felt in her mother tongue, and was comforted by the fact that her Counsellor could relate to her as she spoke Punjabi too.

Over a period of several months Fatima improved tremendously in confidence and managing the pain of her loss.  She joined Shama’s ESOL classes; which helped improve her English, she also improved her employability skills by joining Shama’s overlocking classes and gained a Level 2 Certificate in Textiles machining skills. With the help of our IAG Worker, she was supported with making job applications, interview techniques; and attended our weekly job club which led to her securing a part-time job as a machinist.