Ms Hazel Behan:

To be honest, I would not be here today if I had not gone to counselling and therapy. I do not say that lightly or for shock value. It is the truth. Following the unthinkable, a person no longer exists. The Hazel I was before was not there any more. Therapy was about getting to know this new person I had become, and figuring out life after that. 99% of the conversations I had with my therapist during our sessions did not concentrate on what happened. They were about navigating life after what happened. They were about navigating normal everyday things that unfortunately seem more difficult when you are going through dealing with such trauma. While my therapist knew what happened to me and it certainly was something I discussed, the majority of our sessions concentrated on the after, not on the then and what happened then. If I did not have that, I can confidently say I would not be here today; without a doubt.