SMP testimonial - Chris Maher, SMP participant

The Boss of Me

"Having survived an abusive childhood at the hands of a large institution I have always been wary of anything with the word ‘management’ in the title! It had distant echoes of people telling me what to do and think. I was even wary of the word ‘self’ as I could hear a voice saying 'pull yourself together'.

"To my surprise I found The Self Management Programme (SMP) to be both helpful and encouraging. Through its participation and involvement, I found no division between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere led to a real sense of sharing, between the professional and clients. It was a real co-op towards health.

"When I first heard about the SMP my first reaction was 'I have been self-managing all my life' as I thought no matter how many doctors you see it is down to yourself at the end.

"However, it is one thing knowing your aim and quite another having the means to achieve it. I had already spent twelve weeks in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which was arranged through my GP, when I heard about the SMP. I had found CBT to be helpful to a degree in changing some of my negative thoughts into more positive ones.

"But I found the practical approach on the SMP a much more manageable project. With the help and encouragement of the staff, both lay and professional, who presented it, I found myself becoming more understanding of the past and more positive about the future. Throughout the seven weeks of the course, by setting reachable goals for each week, I found my confidence building and my hope starting to revive.

"Through the practical advice given and action plans arrived at by both the tutors and the group, I started to see solutions to everyday problems such as debt and housing, it helped me to take small steps towards the future.

"From the first modules of the course on 'How to become a self-manager' and 'Finding resources' through to 'Understanding our illness' and ‘Planning for the future’ it was full of helpful hints on self-management. I found the easy steps led me through my own maze of depression to a clearer view of my illness and hope for the future.

"I found that Self Management seems to be the best kind of management and I hope to become 'the boss of me'."

Chris Maher, SMP participant (2008)