My Voice, My Story: The Impact of KASP on My Life
At KASP’s 30th Anniversary Celebration in January, we were honoured to share a powerful piece written by one of our clients.
Played as an audio recording during the event, his words offered a deeply personal reflection on the impact KASP has had on his life. In this moving account, he speaks openly about the shame he carried for many years and how, through the support, understanding and sense of belonging he found at KASP, he has begun to let go of that burden. His story is a testament to the life-changing difference that compassionate support can make. We are honored to be able to share his words below;
I want KASP, and everyone involved, to understand just how much this has meant to me personally. I want to try to explain what KASP is to me, and how I experience it.
To me, KASP isn’t an organisation or a service. It isn’t a group of people doing amazing, godly work for those in need—although I know that it is all of that. For me, KASP is a connection I never believed I could have. It is a bond I never thought I would experience in my life. It is a level of trust, loyalty, and openness that I truly believed was gone from my life—until I allowed myself to experience it.
Through this connection, I have felt safe enough to be open in ways I never thought possible again. I have not felt judged. I have not felt like a number, or a textbook case. Instead, I have felt seen as myself. That has allowed me to carry less shame today and I continue to work on giving up on the shame that doesn’t belong to me, this I know.
What has mattered most to me is being met with time and patience. They have allowed me to trust, and manage to be present, and to believe that I am worth listening to. I have never felt like just another person with problems, and that has made all the difference.
Looking back on my experiences with professionals throughout the NHS and state services, I realise how rare this has been for me. I never believed I would feel this level of trust or safety again. Yet here I am, experiencing it—and recognising how deeply it has impacted me.
Because of this relationship, built on consistency, honesty, patience, and a non-judgemental approach, I have found strength on days when darkness felt overwhelming. I have been able to keep going, to keep fighting, and to see my life from angles I could never reach on my own. There were times when I truly believe I would not have survived without this support. That is something I feel deeply, and I know it from lived experience.
This has shown me how vital this kind of human connection truly is. I know, in my heart and soul, that without people and support like this, many would lose hope. I know that because I have stood in that place myself.
I struggle to find the right words to express my gratitude, but I know this: I am still here. I am still trying. I am still growing.
I can now see myself more clearly—as my own man, and as the dad I am to my bairns. Even without having had a model of what that should look like, I am proud of who I am. Letting someone in, opening the door, and sharing the deepest parts of myself has helped me see that strength in myself for the first time, in a different way, not from the fear, the violence and aggression but from love.
