letters from our community

real experiences, told by our community

I would like to share how supportive caba was at a difficult time of my life/career.

At 36 I was diagnosed with MS, a degenerative incurable (currently) condition affecting the brain and central nervous system.

At the time of diagnosis, I had a rather bleak and all-consuming vision of the future that, when considering all the responsibilities of having a young family, badly affected my mental health.

Getting a GP appointment with an expected onward referral onto a waiting list to an overstretched NHS mental health team was taking too long so I reached out to caba which, after a quick assessment over the phone, led to a referral to a counsellor with whom I had 5 sessions.

The sessions were paid for by caba which was appreciated but not as much as knowing there was an organisation out there to support me during this time which will have already vetted the counsellors, a task I was not up to facing at the time.

I have gone from strength to strength since my support and in 2020 was promoted to FD of the organisation I work for.

I hope others read this and, if this situation sounds similar to their own, it gives them confidence in knowing there is a great organisation out there to offer support.

I have been a chartered accountant with the ICAEW for over twenty years. I have known busy times, pressured times and times when I've said no, I can't do that.

I never thought I would need help from caba. I was financially secure, experienced and had worked through bereavement, divorce, everything that life can throw at us. Things changed for me when I started working in my dream job, supporting a company that aligned with my ethical values. I loved the job, loved the company and worked so hard and took on so much I started to struggle. My health and work suffered. I wasn't sleeping or eating properly. Caba responded immediately when I reached out for help, and I was offered counselling with a psychologist to understand why I sacrificed my own health.

To access that support within a couple of weeks saved me from having to resign from my dream job. My lesson learned is I have a weakness I had never explored, and I am learning techniques to set appropriate boundaries and reward myself for doing so. If you were like me and thought you'd never need help from caba I hope you're correct, but you never know what perfect storm is on the horizon.

Being a mum of two girls and going back into finance after a career break can be overwhelming. You doubt whether you still have the right skill set, and whether you can be as efficient as you used to be.

Having worked up the career ladder prior to becoming a mum, it’s hard to put your career on ‘pause’ to spend time bringing up the children. At the same time, after having two daughters, you want a role that allows flexibility and a provides a healthy work life balance. Having recently found a part time remote finance role, which allows me to refresh my skill set and also get back into the finance field, I’d say to those in the same situation, have faith! Albeit having taken a pay cut, it still gets my foot back in the door.