The loss of a child has an incredible impact on any family and John Savages’ family is no different. John and his wife tragically lost their young baby and understandably him and his family suffered extremely crippling bereavement.

John, a former employee of an electrical wholesaler and now a sole trader of electrical products, reached out to the Electrical Industries Charity for emotional support for him, his wife and young daughter. The charity sourced and funded regular therapy sessions for all of the family with a specialist bereavement counsellor. The initial bereavement counselling the family received was instrumental in providing them an outlet to vent, discuss and grieve in a safe environment.

The Electrical Industries Charity continued to support the family and went on to offer John a psychiatric  assessment to establish the state of his emotional wellbeing. John was diagnosed with a mood disorder which had been exacerbated by his home-life, relationship difficulties, past substance misuse and history of trauma. During this period John was struggling within his marriage. John divulged that him and his wife had always had a turbulent relationship, but their marriage had now become unhealthy and even dysfunctional. Although their marriage had since become highly toxic John felt as though he could not function without his partner referring to her as ‘an addiction’.

Only after months of therapy sessions did John feel as if he could combat his addiction and take steps towards breaking the toxic cycle. He left the family home and moved to a space of his own in which he could focus on his wellbeing and breaking his addiction. With limited contact to his partner John began to become stronger and started to see a life beyond his destructive relationship. After breaking his cycle of addiction with help from the EIC, John enjoys life with his daughter and him and his now ex-partner maintain a limited but civil relationship.

John still regularly attends specialised therapy for trauma sufferers and continues to manage his life independently and addiction free. The welfare team continues to chat with John about his progress and he has recently completed a follow-up counselling evaluation. The evaluation confirmed John’s mood had improved and this assessment allows the charity to keep an eye on what support John needs and how the EIC can help him further.

An addiction can completely uproot someone’s life. John’s addiction to his partner turned his life upside down and left him feeling isolated and desperate. You do not need to feel this way. The Electrical Industries Charity can support you no matter how you feel or what your circumstances are.

If you or someone you know require assistance, please contact the EIC support team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0800 652 1618.

For further information, please contact Jess Vailima: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.