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Bonnie struggled after her Dad died, but Cruse Scotland's counselling support helped her cope. After receiving support from Cruse Scotland Volunteer Denise, Bonnie has since started a counselling course herself.
Bonnie was grieving the loss of her Father, and reached out to Cruse Scotland for support after her GP signposted our services. She says, "Losing my father was very difficult for me as he was also my best friend". In order to cope with the grief, Bonnie distracted herself with work: "I didn't deal with my emotions or my pain. My boss pointed out to me that I possibly wasn't OK and that I should really speak to someone professional. I made an appointment with my GP who suggested contacting Cruse Scotland."
Bonnie was connected with Cruse Scotland Volunteer Denise and begun counselling sessions in February 2025. Initially, Bonnie had mixed feelings about receiving support. She says, "leading up to my first session, I was anxious and didn't know what would happen in the session and didn't know if I was even in a place where I was ready to open up or discuss how I was feeling."
Denise helped Bonnie feel comfortable and helped her address the negative feelings associated with the loss of her father. Bonnie says, "In the beginning I was still a little bit shy, but then within the first session it gave me the space to completely open up. Once I opened the floodgates, I couldn't stop talking and it was so good for me to to unleash all of that stuff."
As the counselling sessions progressed, Bonnie formed a connection with Denise, describing her as "patient, empathetic, non-judgemental and kind". By opening up to Denise, Bonnie began to value her own wellbeing, "Denise helped me feel much better about myself and my relationship with my Father. Since my sessions, I have become more sure of myself, more confident and a lot less hard on myself."
Inspired by the help she received from Cruse Scotland, Bonnie made the decision to enrol in a counselling course and begin the process of becoming a qualified counsellor, just like recently qualified counsellor Denise. Bonnie started her course in April this year, she says: "I am now concentrating on my counselling course so that I can help other people the way Cruse Scotland helped me."
