Kirkham NHS worker with PTSD quit physiotherapy job at Preston Hospital to spread positive mental health message inspired by her dog

Andrea Selley, 51, and her son, Isaac, 17, were both traumatised when a close friend took his own life in 2013.

The former physiotherapist was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 2019.

She had spent 31 years helping children with muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular conditions. But working through the pandemic brought her negative emotions back, and it became too much for her to manage.

Andrea said: “My PTSD was related to feeling that I’d let my friend down and hadn’t prevented his suicide, so that emotion of working in a hospital where you cant meet everybody’s needs as well as you want to, was overwhelming. It became very stressful at the local NHS Trust where I worked, and I felt my wellbeing needs were unsupported.”

Andrea and Isaac had been getting support through Parenting Mental Health, a charity that provides help and support for young people and their parents going through mental health challenges.

So when Andrea’s illness resurfaced during Covid they were able to help her again. She joined in with an online art therapy course, organised as a bit of relief for parents of anxious children.

Andrea found this really helpful to connect with other parents over Zoom.

“It really wasn’t about being great at art, it was just about expressing your emotions. Getting down how you were feeling using different types of art, and some mindfulness mandalas. It was through the charity, so I knew that everyone there had an understanding, they all had children with mental health struggles.”

But during the sessions she discovered a hidden talent - inspired by her nine year old Bichon Frise, Rafi.

“The therapist suggested that I think of what a really good friend would say to me without being judgemental. I found that really hard to do, but it was so much easier to imagine my dog having a voice and saying these things because he really encourages me.”

So now she has a full range of paintings, which all include her dog and a positive message.

“The messages are all about finding the good in difficult circumstances and taking things one step at a time and not being overcome by negativity.”

She quit her job at Royal Preston Hospital in December 2021 to focus on art, which she uses to share her messages of hope and recovery.

“It was a big decision to give up work but realised it was more important to look after my wellbeing. Experiencing something yourself makes you really passionate about not wanting other people to suffer.”

Andrea now sells her work at artisan markets in Kirkham, and craft fairs in Lytham.

And in early 2022 she made the final 12 in a national art competition, out of 4,338 entries - which was a big confidence boost.

Simon Wadsworth, director of Wraptious, a gift and homeware company that organised the talent search, said: “Your work stood out for all the right reasons - about creativity, mindfulness and connection. Values that we need to be reminded of in society.”

Visit https://parentingmentalhealth.org/ if you have been affected by issues in this story.