Teaching young people had always been Sophie’s passion, but over time the demands of the classroom, extra responsibilities and blurred boundaries between work and home life left her exhausted. When her health began to deteriorate, something had to change.  

She was referred by her GP to Distress Brief Intervention (DBI), a programme that provides compassionate, connected and short-term support for people in distress. DBI is delivered 365 days a year across Scotland. Change Mental Health delivers the programme in Highland, Dumfries & Galloway, Argyll & Bute and the Western Isles, working closely with local partners and frontline services such as GPs, A&E, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service. 

Sophie has been teaching for six years and loved her job. But the constant demands, ever-shifting dynamic of the classroom and emotional labour slowly wore her down. “Sometimes you just end up reaching these default states where your energy is so depleted.” 

COVID blurred the lines between work and rest even further. Despite trying to leave work at work, Sophie found herself taking more home. Weekends and holidays stopped feeling like a break. Even when she wasn’t working, she couldn’t switch off. 

“I was so tired I couldn’t rest. I wasn’t fully present at home and it reached a point where I’d be physically unwell: headaches, migraines and stomach issues.” 

There was some support available in school, links to services, in-service wellbeing activities and even free gym access. However, Sophie struggled to engage with it all. 

“I was so bogged down in term-time that I didn’t have the brain space to even look into what was available. It doesn’t help that when you speak to other people at work, they say they feel the same. But instead of thinking ‘I’m not alone’, I thought, ‘Well, if everyone else feels like this, just get on with it.’ So, I did.”

After returning from a few days off with physical symptoms, which she hadn’t yet linked to her mental health, a colleague asked a simple question: ‘How are you doing?’ That opened up a conversation.  

“I shared that I’ve been struggling. She said that I should speak to my GP. At first, I didn’t understand – because I wasn’t sick, right? I wasn’t interested in medication. But I booked an appointment anyway. 

“The GP was amazing. She asked questions that made me realise how bad things really were. That’s when she said, ‘Sophie, I think you need to take some time.’ She signed me off and mentioned something called ‘distress intervention’.” 

She was signed off work for four weeks with “burnout” written on the note. 

“I didn’t really understand what that meant either. I was very naïve. I thought, I’ll take a week, won’t touch my laptop and then I’ll be back. It almost felt like another thing on the to-do list: Do my reports and also work on my mental health.” 

 support from Distress Brief Intervention

Sophie expected something surface level, such as another round of generic wellbeing advice. She was unsure what help could come from a phone call but she agreed to participate in support from Distress Brief Intervention. 

“I was paired up with Alex, one of the team members from DBI. The best way to describe the calls is that they were totally open and different each time. Alex really listened. He saw that I was willing to change. He matched things to me and the way I operate: resources, workshops, TED talks, breathing techniques.  

“Two weeks doesn’t sound like a lot, but it worked. It’s a sweet spot. Anymore or any less wouldn’t have worked for me. 

“It wasn’t one-size-fits-all. I had full autonomy over what we were discussing. Some things were super simple, like breathing techniques, others were more in-depth.” 

When the two weeks of support ended, Sophie felt ready for the next step. 

“I enjoyed the calls so much I didn’t want them to stop. But I knew they were meant to help you move on – and that’s exactly what they did. I wanted to go deeper. I started private therapy and it’s been transformative.” 

That’s how DBI is designed to work: a short, focused intervention that creates space, builds momentum, and helps people connect with what they need next – whether that’s rest, clarity or longer-term support. 

rethinking work and wellbeing

Sophie continued to practice what she’d learned. She also began questioning her long-held beliefs about work.