Episode #11 Conversation with Max Dalda Muller

In Episode #11 Angie & Mike talk to Max Dalda Muller Max’s Biography - “According to numbers from the Office for National Statistics, one in four people experience a mental health problem in the course of a year. I used to be one of those individuals. As a teenager, I struggled to adapt to changes in me and around me. My inability to cope with these challenges made me very anxious and, eventually, depressed. I dropped out of school and after that, for most of my adult life, I felt inadequate and worthless. I left Spain, the country I grew up in, and travelled around Europe. I lived in Spain, Germany, Sweden and eventually settled in London. However, I always brought my problems with me. These problems affected every area of my life, form my ability to relate to others, and manage everyday life to my capacity to hold down a job. I engaged in relationships which were unhealthy and downright damaging to me. I self-medicated with alcohol and drugs and developed dependencies. My downward spiral of depression and self-destruction took me to its logical ends of isolation and despair. I ended up homeless, roaming the streets of North London, surviving hand to mouth, totally and utterly destitute. But then, one night in February 2007, a miracle happened. A Police Community Support Officer, called Michael Owusu, stopped me on the street and, after listening to my story, decided to help me. He put me in touch with an outreach worker for a charity called the Pillion Trust who help young homeless in the Islington area of North London. They in turn got me off the streets and into a rehabilitation programme. My journey through rehab was painful and difficult but also rewarding and exciting. One of the more amazing aspects of it was the relationship I developed with my counsellor. For the first time in my life I felt heard and understood without conditions or judgement. I wanted to give this to other people. Because of the impact this relationship had on me, I decided to go into counselling training on completing my rehab treatment. I was given the gift of an opportunity to turn my life around. A lot of people worked very hard to get me to that point.”Conversation with Angie & Mike is a Podcast & Vlog with interesting people from all walks of life. We discuss everything and anything, usually touching on Mental Health as both Mike & Angie are Trustees of Somewhere House Somerset, a mental health counselling charity based in Somerset, England. #mentalhealth #conversation #podcast #counselling #support #community #somersetcounty #somersetuk #lifestory #interview #guest #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalwellbeing #wellbeing #recovery #addiction