Personal Profile
Samantha Francis
Hi everyone, I thought I would give a little information about myself and my background.
I’m a very proud single mum of 5 children. My daughter is my eldest child and she attended Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and is now working within the Teaching profession. I also have 2 little girls who are in full time education and a set of twin boys. One of my boys is married and is working within the management profession and the other graduated from South Bank University with a foundation degree in Small Business Entrepreneurship. Sadly, my son suffered with mental health issues, but thankfully, with my support he has recovered, however, this was an extremely difficult time for me and my children. At the time, I was too scared to notify the authorities and I definitely did not want my son to be admitted into hospital. Having to deal with this situation over the past few years made me think about how many other families and individuals in the same situation have suffered or are suffering and do not know how to cope and where to get the best support. This is how Find A Balance was created. It was created to offer a bespoke service/support to individuals and families who have suffered with or are currently suffering with mental health issues.
I worked in the welfare sector for over 10 years and have extensive experience working with individuals aged 18 – 60 to identify their barriers, offer support, advocacy and guidance and to get them into sustainable employment. This includes one-to-one support, liaising with external providers and meeting with my clients on a weekly basis to provide ongoing support etc.
My passion lies in working with young people/adults, conducting group sessions and advising and supporting them. I love the idea of working with clients from the beginning to the end and seeing a change for the better in their lives.
I have worked with young people/adults from all walks of life. Many of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds and so a different approach needs to be taken to effectively engage with them. Many of these young people/adults are vulnerable, have low self-esteem, have trust issues and do not like dealing with the authorities as they feel they cannot relate to them. I have learnt how to build authentic rapport with my clients and support them back into employment and into a more stable lifestyle. I have also helped them access many services beyond employment.
I feel that this experience and these skills place me in a strong position to work with my target audience. My personal experience of supporting my son back to stable mental health was partly due to my understanding of working with vulnerable young people/adults. I have facilitated workshops for both my clients and those that work with my clients. These sessions have helped the young people/adults with their own personal development as well as bridging the gap between their needs and the best way for service providers to meet their needs through continuous feedback loops.
