Testimonials

In July last year I was suicidal and could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. I have 3 young girls and I had reached the stage where I thought they would be better off without me, though ultimately it was because of them that eventually I felt it was time to seek help. Following initial treatment and basic therapy I was referred to Omisona Fasina for an intensive course of CBT. I was extremely nervous about attending and my initial instinct was to avoid going and cancel the appointment, especially as I had been warned that I would be expected to put in a lot of effort into this treatment and would need to do ’homework’; I therefore had my doubts that I would be able to cope. However, within minutes of attending the first session Omisona put me completely at ease. I had wondered whether I would be able to talk about my problems and feelings, but I very soon realised I could have kept chatting all day!

Talking to Omisona was like meeting up with a good friend who was completely non-judgemental. As the sessions progressed over the next few months I found myself actually looking forward to the sessions and although sometimes difficult to get started, I actually found the homework relatively easy to do and definitely very helpful. In the sessions I was able to feel sae to open up about things troubling me and Omisona very carefully and skilfully helped me unravel all my cluttered thoughts and to make sense of everything, including issues from my dim and distant past, and explained how these had continued to affect my behaviour and thoughts years later.

In summary, my journey into self – discovery with Omisona was a difficult but extremely rewarding one and I shall be forever grateful to her for turning my life around so completely. I cannot believe how much I have changed in such a relatively short space of time. My confidence is now better than it has ever been despite the fact that the initial cause for my depression and anxiety is still there; however I know I have been given the tools and coping strategies that will allow me to continue life with its ups and downs Knowing I have the ability to manage and, should I have a relapse, I have the power within me to deal with this appropriately. Thanks to Omisona I believe in myself and I can’t recommend her highly enough. She is by far the best therapist I have EVER come across and would recommend her without a shadow of a doubt.

Lesley J, West Midlands

This testimonial describes the support I received from Omisona Fasina during my therapy sessions, following a family bereavement.

I was originally referred by my GP for counselling, after the death of my father. However the counsellor cancelled the first session, then went off sick and despite further requests for assistance, the sessions did not materialise. I was then referred to Omisona Fasina.

At first I was apprehensive about what would be involved, but Omisona put me at ease from the beginning by telling me that the sessions were my space an time to explore, describe and reflect on the various emotions I was experiencing. I discovered a sense of freedom by being able to release my thoughts no matter how small or significant, instead of bottling things up. This process grew with each session, enabling me to explore different aspects of the grieving process and the effect it was having on me – in particular all the questions in y mind and the self-evaluation that was going on about my own life.

Omisona took me on a journey in a professional and sensitive manner, giving me advice, suggestions and strategies for self help. She provided a “route-map” i.e a method by which I could understand what was going on, could maintain a perspective and keep grounded knowing that my feeling were normal.

I have been able to put into practice some of the strategies; in particular maintaining a journal, deep breathing and finding ways to relax. Most importantly she has been able to help me find myself and to understand that I do not need external validation from others to be who I am. The rebuilding of my self- esteem has really been the cornerstone of becoming emotionally stronger in order then to address the issue of grief and loss (which I was not handling very well in the first place).

Although each session only lasted an hour I felt I told my life story through the sessions and was able to cover so much ground. Each session built on the previous one. After the first session apart of me was dubious whether Omisona would remember everything I said as I spent most of my time in tears and felt I made little sense. But this was not the case. Every time I met Omisona, it was like meeting an old friend, someone who cared and remembered where I was in my journey and would continue to hold my hand until it was time to let go.

I value all that she has done and cannot thank her enough for the skilful, sensitive , gentle but direct manner, in which she has assisted me. I would recommend her services, without hesitation.

Narinder S., Birmingham

When I started therapy with Omisona I was in the middle of some major life changes, including the end of a 10-year career in Education and relocation to Birmingham.

I was recently unemployed and was experiencing issues with my health including chronic illness and infertility. My GP referred me to Omisona for CBT to help with my anxiety and depression.

Omisona made me feel safe and comfortable and I was able to share and work through some challenging subjects.
Each session involved reflecting on the preceding weeks work, and setting targets for the current session. I was also given practical tasks and background reading to do between sessions. This really helped me to be mindful of my thoughts and behaviour and use techniques to manage these. The whole experience has been very productive. I have discovered so much about my core beliefs and how these have affected my thoughts and behaviour. I still use many of the techniques I have been taught and refer to my relapse prevention notes to keep me on track.

I can’t thank Omisona enough for all her help and support and would have no hesitation in recommending her as a therapist.

Kirsty H. (Hatton)

When I first referred myself to a GP for my problems I was feeling low almost all the time and couldn’t figure out why. Trying to look objectively at my life I couldn’t find anything wrong as I knew on some level that I had a good job, a good education and was in a stable relationship. So why wasn’t I happy? I was always afraid that people didn’t like me and would obsess if I had said something which in my mind might have been misconstrued by my friends or colleagues. I would sometimes try and apologise for my behaviour and they would look at me with blank faces not even remembering the ‘event’ that I had obsessed over. I was constantly afraid that I might offend people. A lot of my time and effort was put into my academic work but being top in the class didn’t make me feel any better as I still didn’t like myself. My sense of self worth was very low. What I found most frustrating was trying to explain how I was feeling to people and this frustration of not managing to express myself often led to a lot of fights with my boyfriend and crying.

My GP referred me to Omisona who helped me look back into my past and deal with the bullying I had experienced in school and the issues I had with my father- two things which I had allow to contribute to the way I thought people saw me. Meeting with her I got an opportunity to be just me, not a daughter or a girlfriend, and to prioritise what I wanted. Her advice were always very practical and she gave me several methods to help me recognise situations which would trigger my mood swings. She also gave me very valuable advice on my physical health and after I had made some dietary changes and started exercise more I found that a lot of my energy came back and my general mood improved dramatically. In our last session she asked me how I felt compared to when I had first started seeing her and I genuinely couldn’t remember the reason I had first come, I felt that different. My brain is now flooded with things I want to try but had never felt were achievable before. I am even in training for my first ever half-marathon.

Georgina R, Sutton Coldfield

Omisona has enabled patients to recover from emotionally traumatising episodes – reducing their dependence on medication and resulting in positive recovery whereby they continue to use the strategies to manage their lives much more effectively.

She has been working with the Halycon practice since November 2009 with patients with such things as anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

Her professional, yet warm and open nature enables patients to develop rapport very quickly with her providing a solid foundation to ensure the effectiveness of the various techniques used including talking therapies and CBT.

She has made a significant difference to the impact of our practice with all partners and staff confident to refer their patients to her. I would wholeheartedly recommend other practices and individuals to benefit from her skills.

Dr. Mathew Nye

All I can say is my God! I don’t know how she did it but in a short space of time Omisona has enable me to change over 25 years of negative thinking about myself. When I began to make choices for me, I felt awkward at first and I was surprised that people didn’t hate me or fall out with me for it. I feel much more happier and stronger in myself.

She doesn’t say much but whatever she says and does works.

Tay J, Leicester