After decades working in the restaurant industry, Gateshead 's Wendy Ritchie ditched the pots and pans and became a peer supporter, helping others with their mental health.
Now working at the Newcastle Recovery College, Wendy, 42, has urged other people with lived experience of mental health to sign up as peer supporters as part of an NHS drive to recruit a new team in Gateshead.
Wendy told ChronicleLive : "I have suffered with mental health issues from a young age. It was nothing to do with my upbringing, but I struggled. And at the time, the GP didn't really have much to offer.
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"Even back then, because I was open about my mental health I found I was always giving advice to others.
"I struggled really badly at 18. But then I threw myself into working in kitchens. Of course, we know there are really high levels of mental health problems in kitchens.
"But I enjoyed it. I found it kept me well for some time - and I got to being really quite good. I ended up being a kitchen manager. But in later years the pressure became too much."
Towards the end of her culinary career, Wendy decided to work in the low-pressure environment of Ed's American Diner in the Metrocentre - and that's where she was when she decided to become a peer supporter.
Throughout her life she has suffered from mental health issues including suicidal ideation and self-harm, but now she uses her most difficult experiences to support others who may be struggling.
"I had never seen myself as something with much of a mental health background," she said. "But in the end going into peer support was the best thing I've ever done. It's such a rewarding job and so many people I have met are capable of doing it. The more peer supporters we have, the better."
Wendy explained that people coming forward with mental health problems were sometimes more open with peers than with medical professionals, and she added: "People tend to disclose more than they would to a medical professional.
"The more people who find out about the support the better - it's life-changing.
"It makes such a huge difference to people's lives to know they are able to meet with someone who has been through similar experiences. It gives people hope."
Wendy - who is now a project co-ordinator at the Newcastle Recovery College which runs a whole programme of peer-led services for people with various mental health issues - said she felt mental health services were much improved compared to when she was younger.
"The difference from my experience is amazing - and you don't always hear the positive stories but the Recovery College is doing so much.
"The level of peer support around now is amazing. If there had been somewhere like the Recovery College when I was younger, my life could have been so different."
She added that would-be peer-supporters could "really make the job their own" and added: "For anyone looking to get into this work, I would say make sure you’re in the right place yourself, because it will have its challenges, but I would recommend it to anyone who is ready, it can be so rewarding and they should go for it."
Simon Reay is a clinical lead at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust, which will employ the new peer supporters in Gateshead. He said: "We are lucky to have a range of good services in Gateshead, but this is a chance to add a new dimension to our work.
"People with real lived experience of mental health services can bring valuable insights and we are confident that the new peer support workers can make a real difference in patients' lives.
"Peer support is all about getting a helping hand from someone who has been there and knows what it is like using mental health services."
The new peer support workers will offer practical support - this can involve helping people get involved in activity groups, working on someone's resilience or helping them to access the right mental health services.
Dr Jessica Thompson, clinical lead for mental health in Gateshead at the Newcastle Gateshead NHS CCG, said: "After a difficult couple of years, many more of us are needing help with our mental health. We're working to ensure the best possible services for local people, and the new Peer Support Workers will play an important part in that."
To find further details and apply to be a peer supporter, please visit www.jobs.nhs.uk and www.stsft.nhs.uk. There will also be a stand with information at the jobs fair taking place at Newcastle Civic Centre's Banqueting Hall on Thursday March 10. That event runs from 11am until 3pm.
