It’s super chilled out so you don’t get anxious like you do in schools. You know you don’t have to hide anything because it is really welcoming and it feels like chatting to a friend. She’s really kind and you can relate to her and she can relate to you – she’s a really nice, honest person. It doesn’t really feel like you’re learning it just feels like you’re talking and doing things that you enjoy in a safe space – but at the same time you are really learning stuff.

By far the most intuitive, well-informed and open-minded professional to have worked with my daughter (who is now 17). My daughter has seen mental health professionals since she was 5, and none came close to having the same rapport or understanding. They took my concerns as a parent seriously, listened attentively and collaborated with myself and my daughter to explore what her challenges were. Fantastic!”

A great help to our family in identifying early that my son might require some additional support at school. They then worked with me, the school and the external provider to make sure we all played our part to get the best outcome for my son. Very knowledgeable in their field and their kind and empathetic approach takes a lot of the stress out of what can be an overwhelming situation for families.

They have a talent for recognising and applying the most efficient and effective ways to unlock a child’s potential as evidenced by my son’s improvement in learning within a short timespan. It also constantly amazes me how my son can engage and learn new concepts interactively online.  Their insights about how our son learns has also been an eye opener for us. 

Believing in Different helped me at one of the most confusing and tumultuous periods of my life. Being 13 is hard for anyone, but coupled with a new international move and an adaptation to an entirely new culture, it enters an entirely new sphere of difficulty.  Without this support I doubt I would have developed the confidence I am now proud to possess, which has proved a crucial tool in battling the model-village machination we call life. I can only say ‘thank you’ for what they did for me in such a short time.

Not only did they help my son with all the difficulties he had at school, they became part of our lives and helped us become stronger. They were always there when I needed to talk, and they had a patience I have never ever seen. I can say that because of them, my son developed the skills he needed, and also because of them, I could be the backup my son needed, because I felt, for the first time, that someone was backing me up in this process as well. I will never forget how hard they worked for us.

I feel really lucky that we found Believing in Different to work with my son. After having a traumatic time at high school and burning out, he had been at home and unable to access education for a year when he engaged with Believing in Different. He knew straight away that they were people who he was going to be able to talk to and was excited to start having sessions. They have created a fantastic, safe space where they can figure out together with my son what they are going to explore and learn about. 

Before our son started working with them he was having a lot of trouble in class with some social interactions and communicating his feelings to the point where we were very worried he would be asked to no longer attend school. Believing in Different helped him to have a voice and to give him a place where he felt comfortable to talk through his frustrations. He learned valuable tools with his mentor to help him through transitional periods and tough situations. 

Believing in Different worked closely with our daughter over 6 weeks to help her understand ‘why she felt different’. The mentor was excellent – so understanding and empathetic, both to us as parents and our daughter. Through weekly conversations and with our mentor’s expert guidance, they gradually unlocked her feelings about what was behind her question, her struggles, concerns and emotions. Believing in Different put our daughter’s needs first. They brought us into the conversation when it was appropriate and when our daughter was comfortable to share. Most importantly, they gave our daughter the gift of understanding herself far better.

Believing in Different helped me recognise my mental illness in high school and was like a huge booster in my life to start improving my wellbeing. Even though my mind was full of suicidal thoughts, my mentor was very kind, understanding, non judgemental and supportive. She listened carefully about everything respectfully. During our sessions, my mentor didn’t make me feel rushed in talking about my thoughts regardless of heavy topics or not. She took things slow and calm in a positive sense.