A courageous Self Help trainee, Sascha McDermott, recently took to the stage in Parliament and shared her experiences of working within the group to improve her wellbeing and job prospects.

Sascha is a trainee for Getting Real Opportunities for Work (GROW), a scheme which is embedded in the Inspiring Change Manchester programme, which enables former service users to fulfil their potential in education, training and employment.

Self Help provide the mental health element of the project and were delighted to facilitate a placement for a GROW trainee. This role offers opportunities for peers to enter paid employment through a variety of trainee roles.

Sascha commented: “I am really enjoying my placement as a GROW trainee and working with Self Help to support clients who have mental health difficulties and a range of complex needs. I have developed so many new skills over the past few months.

It was a real honour to represent the organisation at Parliament and share my journey with others. I’m passionate about what we do and this traineeship has given me hope that I can go into further employment within the mental health field.”

To find out more about Inspiring Change Manchester visit:http://inspiringchangemanchester.shelter.org.uk/