Cassie's Story: Four years on from Centrepoint, I'm a qualified art teacher

Reflecting on her journey

When Cassie first shared her story four years ago things felt very different for her. She was just about to move into her own flat and start her degree in fine art, but it had been a rocky road. 

She looks back on that time now with the fresh perspective that four years provides.

“I was the lowest I’ve ever been when I first came to Centrepoint," Cassie remembers. "I was struggling with anxiety, with depression. I hadn’t been helping myself. I was self-medicating and using alcohol as a coping mechanism.”

Being at Centrepoint

Cassie remembers that being at Centrepoint kept her on course and prevented her from spiralling.

“They provided me with therapy, with food parcels, with someone to talk to, how to budget. It kept me afloat at the time.”

Cassie was a resident at Centrepoint during lockdown. She says it was a difficult time because she was secluded from family and friends, but she made the most of that time.

“I reached into my sketchbooks and experimented with my hair and my make-up and I just sort of had the opportunity to explore my creative side. From there, I was able to go to university and my life has been an upwards trajectory from there.”

Meeting Prince William

During lockdown, Centrepoint ran a national art competition to keep young people engaged. Cassie entered the competition and won. Her prize was a Zoom call with Prince William.

“It was so surreal, I told him about the music I liked and how I was looking forward to being in a field at a festival again. He seemed like a really sweet guy, he was really sound. He really listened to what I had to say.”

Mental health

Whilst at Centrepoint, Cassie was able to access mental health support. She was able to see Monica, the psychotherapist and also access support from a healthy relationships advisor.

“The support was so helpful. I was able to process a lot of the trauma I had been going through and she helped me to regulate my emotions better and develop some healthier habits. It’s funny because some of the stuff that I learnt has only really properly embedded now in the past year, it takes time for some of this advice to really sink in especially when it comes to therapy.”

It wasn’t until later on when she was at university that Cassie was diagnosed with dyslexia. She says that whilst she was at Centrepoint, she really struggled with forms and documents. She remembers one of the staff members Chantelle really helped her work through those things. 

“She was always available, I could go to her with anything and she would help me out or just be there to talk to.”

When Cassie first moved out of Centrepoint into floating support, her mental health deteriorated. She says she locked herself away. Staff members tried to get in touch with her, but weren’t able to reach her. In the end a staff member came to her flat and knocked on her door to make sure she was ok.

“At the time, I was like, why does everyone think I’m dead? I’m just taking time I need. However, it was really sweet. I’ve had to take that time to lock myself away since. In my last year of uni, I just locked myself away and went into my sketchbooks and really didn’t speak to anyone. I deleted a lot of my social media and stuff. But now I have the sense to let people know so they don’t worry and they know I’m just doing what I need to do to get through it. Now I can communicate better because I am so much better.”

Reflection and development

For Cassie, going to university  helped her develop routine and healthy habits. 

“To get through my degree, I have to force myself to get up at a good time, to go to bed at a good time, to eat well to feed my brain. I made sure I gave myself regular breaks so that I didn’t get overwhelmed. All of that is so useful now that I am working in a school.”

For Cassie, maturing and working in a school has given her fresh perspective and helped her repair the relationship with her mum.

“I realise now that my mum was doing her very best and I was going through all sorts of stuff and was not the perfect teenager I thought I was. When I first started my placements in a secondary school. One of the first things I did was phone my mum and apologise for what I put her through. I could finally see the impact I must have had on her. We speak every day now and have a really healthy relationship. I just needed that time to become independent and gain perspective.”

Not only that, but working in a school means that all the things that she learnt at Centrepoint and since, she can use when supporting other young people.

“When I was going through the darkest times in terms of my mental health, I thought I would always feel that way, but I came through it. When I see pupils going through similar stuff, I’m able to sit them down and support them. All the stuff I’ve been taught by professionals comes out. I’m able to empathise and give them hope that things do and will get better.”

“Sometimes I just want to give myself a hug. I didn’t think I would get through it, but with help from Centrepoint and mentors from university, it did get better. I am living proof that it can. Every bit of advice that those professionals have given to me, I’ve been able to share with my students. I can pick up straight away if someone is struggling because I’ve been there myself and I know what to say to support them.”

“I needed that time away to figure out that I can be a nightmare, but I am my own nightmare. I would like to let any young person who is going through similar things to have hope that things will get better. I would encourage them to continue with their education, to build healthy habits and speak to trusted professionals and mentors. Don’t be afraid to say you need support.”

“I feel quite emotional for the girl you interviewed four years ago as she wasn't in a good place. Speaking about my struggles was hard and definitely one of the first steps of getting through them. I feel growing up has helped me see the bigger picture that I wasn't able to back then and I'm much happier now and so glad I stuck through education and heavily benefitted from the help of Centrepoint.”

Cassie recently shared her experiences and reflections from her time at Centrepoint and beyond on our podcast. Listen using the link below.

Cassie recently won the Education Award at the Centrepoint Awards 2024. Accepting her award from Centrepoint's Patron, Prince William, at the British Museum in front of a packed audience, she said, "I am so grateful to Centrepoint, without their support, I wouldn't be the confident person standing before you today." Talking on camera afterwards about how it felt to win an award, she said, "It's just surreal, I am absolutely ecstatic and so grateful."