A Knighton woman says she has “found the new me” after an NHS Wales service helped her overcome depression brought on by chronic back pain.

Cally Ware, 75, had always been an active outdoors enthusiast, enjoying long walks and gardening. But in 2021 she was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition that causes chronic back and leg pain. The diagnosis curtailed her active lifestyle and left her struggling emotionally.

“All of a sudden, I couldn’t do anything that I wanted to,” Cally said. “I couldn’t do the things that defined me. I was at a very low point, thinking ‘this is all I’ve got to look forward to’. It was like grief, like losing somebody - only I’d lost myself.”

Cally recognised her own depression but it wasn’t until she attended a wellbeing event at Knighton Community Centre that she found support. There, a practitioner from Mid and North Powys Mind introduced her to a programme called Blended Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

The service, delivered in partnership with NHS Wales and local mental health charities including Brecon Mind and Ponthafren, combines online learning with human support. Participants work through 12-week courses on the SilverCloud® platform, with guidance from a practitioner in person, by phone, or via video call.

“I was willing to try anything, and it certainly turned me around,” Cally said. “Above all, I was no longer dwelling on the past. I looked for the things that I could do, rather that mourning the things that I couldn’t. I got myself a mobility scooter, which meant my husband and I could still go on walks and holidays - so long as they were fairly flat.”

Cally says the support from Mid and North Powys Mind’s practitioner was a huge plus point.

“We chatted regularly on the phone. If something happened and I felt really down, I knew I could phone her,” she said.

She also praised the flexibility of the online platform: “It didn’t matter what the weather was doing or if the car was in for repairs. I could do it where and when I wanted. I was in my own space, with a cup of coffee and my dogs around me, and that sense of comfort made it easier to open up and work out what the real problems were.”

Mary Griffiths, Mid and North Powys Mind CEO, said: “Thank you Cally for sharing your inspiring story.

“The Blended Online CBT Service delivered by ourselves, Ponthafren and Brecon & District Mind in Powys combines the excellent information and tools within SilverCloud® with a person to talk it all through with, either in-person or by phone, which is what makes the blended service different and so effective".

Blended Online CBT is available free to anyone aged 16 or over in Powys experiencing mild-to-moderate mental health symptoms. The standard SilverCloud service can also be accessed across Wales through the NHS.

For more information, residents can contact Mid and North Powys Mind, Brecon Mind or the Ponthafren Consortium, or visit: https://nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup