Published on: 16th February 2026
Stockport Living Well Service has helped a local woman rebuild her life after a toxic relationship took a serious toll on her mental health.
Years of anxiety and depression culminated in a crisis for 30-year-old Sophie, who was hospitalised after several attempts to take her own life. Thanks to joined up support, Sophie is looking forward to a bright future.
Sophie’s story
Sophie said: “I was shy throughout most of my primary school years. My confidence grew with age, but I always noticed slight underlying anxieties. I was 20 when I had my first significant mental health episode, after taking some drugs at a festival. This triggered several months of anxiety and depression, but I recovered thanks to help from the GP and university’s counselling service.”
In late 2022, Sophie began a new relationship, which resulted in a downward spiral of severe anxiety and depression: “Looking back, all the typical signs of being love bombed were there. He’d take me away on amazing holidays and buy me extravagant gifts, but the level of attention and affection were intense.
“He was very self-focused, critical and controlling, which chipped away at my confidence. It triggered past feelings of depression and anxiety, which became more severe. Instead of supporting me, he responded with anger and made every situation about himself.
“There were constant threats to end the relationship unless I sorted myself out, which increased my anxiety and panic.”
Over time, Sophie’s anxiety and depression spiralled to the point she was signed off work and couldn’t sleep. Her partner broke up with her and she hit crisis point. She made several attempts to take her own life, leading to her being hospitalised.
Following discharge, she was supported by her local home treatment team and began to feel better. They got back together, but it didn’t take long for the relationship to trigger another mental health decline.
She explained: “My 30th birthday was coming up and it was the first time my ex, friends and family would be together. I tried to work through the conflict, but I thought the party was awful.
“Things hit breaking point again when he took me on holiday for my birthday. I knew I couldn’t continue like this.”
Sophie went to see her GP, who prescribed medication and referred her to Stockport Living Well Service, which brings together lots of professionals working together as a seamless partnership.
Sophie worked with Senior Mental Health Practitioner Bev Butcher (pictured) and Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner Kaitlin Pettigrew, both from Pennine Care.
Sophie: “Medication didn’t really help, because my issues were external rather than linked to brain chemistry. What really helped was the joined-up support I received from my GP, the different mental health professionals, and police.
“Bev really understood how much stress I was under and reassured me I’d get better. I found it easier to open-up as she was impartial. Thanks to the way she approached things, I recognised his behaviour wasn’t helping me get better. She supported me to see the harmful patterns in the relationship and gave me confidence in my decisions.
“Kaitlin supported me with cognitive behaviour activities. I found these practical tasks hard, but it was particularly helpful to write things down and find the good in each day.
During her treatment with Bev and Kaitlin, Sophie’s mental health began to deteriorate again. Bev referred Sophie to the home treatment team who provided her with short-term intensive support to keep her safe. Once the crisis passed, Sophie was immediately referred back to Bev to continue her treatment.
Bev explains: “Mental health recovery isn’t a straight path, so it’s common to have good and bad periods. Being able to quickly and easily adapt people’s care to their changing needs is one of the biggest benefits of this new joined up way of working. Removing barriers between services means people get the right care for their needs without delay.
“Sophie was a pleasure to work with. I'm grateful she trusted Kaitlin and I with her story so we could help her recover and rebuild her life. She worked hard and was reflective and open, which is the best way to achieve successful recovery.”
Sophie has now been discharged from Stockport Living Well Service but can easily get back in touch if she needs support in the future.
Keen to use her experiences to help others, alongside her full-time job she’s studying to complete a Masters in mental health. She said: “I feel great. I’m no longer constantly drained by my own thoughts. I sleep really well and wake up happy.
“I don’t resent my ex-partner. I don’t think he meant to cause any harm or even recognised he was contributing to my poor mental health.
“I eventually want to work in mental health so I can use my own experiences to understand and connect with patients and help them, like the people who helped me.
“If anyone is struggling, my advice is to ask your GP for help, open up to people close to you, and try to do something that makes you happy. Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up – everyone experiences issues and you can feel better.”
About the service and how to get help
Stockport Living Well Service is run by Pennine Care, Stockport Mind, Pure Innovations, Stockport Progress and Recovery Centre (SPARC), Age UK Stockport, and Disability Stockport.
The service includes a variety of roles, to make sure people receive tailored support that meets their needs. In addition to lots of different mental health professionals, there are peer support workers, who have lived mental health experience, work coaches and social prescribers who connect individuals with non-medical, community-based services and activities.
People can be referred to Stockport Living Well Service via their GP, a health or social care professional, or a voluntary, community and social enterprise professional.