I have been a regular visitor to Priory Gardens for roughly a decade, having been referred there by the mental health team at Connaught House following a nervous breakdown. I have had mental health problems since childhood, mostly due to my Asperger's syndrome not being recognised until I was 41 (in 2002), and am rarely - if ever - capable of meaningful relationships of any sort, including friendships, so I'm not really able to make use of the centre as a whole, as I have very few interests as well as being left mentally exhausted and lacking in confidence.

Since I was referred to Owain Clarke for music therapy more recently, he has managed to restore some of the lost confidence by encouraging me to achieve one skill at playing music I've always liked to hear but never seriously thought I could be capable of performing. This evidence of achievement and the relaxation that playing music can give me has done much to reduce the weight of self-doubt and depression that I have experienced and has restored some sense of hope for the future. There's still some way to go, both in terms of self-esteem and my piano playing abilities, but I felt it important to point out just what these weekly sessions mean to me.