My name is Helen Moran and I first became aware of Ceartas because I was a committee member and volunteer with Headway. We hosted a workshop for Ceartas a number of years ago into the reality of the side effects of acquired brain injury – I have an acquired brain injury resulting from an accident I had several years ago

I hadn’t heard of Ceartas before and I thought how brilliant a service it was and that staff wanted to learn more about my condition on a personal level. I was seen as an individual and not generalised which, believe me, is a real positive for an individual like me.

I was invited to attend a Ceartas AGM and while I was there I found out more about the services Ceartas offer and felt they may be able to help me.

When I first moved to East Dunbartonshire I found myself involved with the Social Work Department. I self-referred to Ceartas as I was looking for support to attend Social Work meetings and I also wanted to find out more about local services that were available to me and my family.

Susie from Ceartas became my advocacy worker and supported me to work with the Social Work Department. Susie has helped me to prepare for meetings with the Social Work Department by talking to me beforehand to get a clear understanding of my views. I am able to speak for myself at meetings but there are times when this becomes too much for me. This is where I feel the help of Susie is extremely valuable as she prepares me as well as supports me to get my point across at these times. Susie is also familiar with the East Dunbartonshire area and so has been able to provide me with information on the services that are available to me and my family.

I have found the support from Susie very helpful and am now able to share my experience with others in similar situations. Susie has made a positive difference in my life as it was just chaos before; it now has order.

* Helen is now actively involved with Ceartas and Headway’s ABI Café which she attends on a regular basis.