I have had the benefit of working in two very different sectors of employment, working in the administration sector and then in the Substance Misuse field, also supporting service users with various barriers back into employment. In 1990 and I completed my YTS at NEI Reyrolles in Office Procedures and completed a placement with NEI Clarke Chapman Ltd, I secured employment with NEI Clarke Chapman and started working as a receptionist, In the 8 years of employment, I worked in different departments, my career progressed and I secured employment as a PA/Secretary, I then took voluntary redundancy in 1999. Then 15 years ago I started working at the University of Sunderland, employed as a receptionist/student admin assistant then progressed onto a Distance Learning Admin assistant, I stayed with the University for 5 years. In 2004 Whilst on maternity leave from the University I completed my Professional Diploma in Counselling, and set myself a goal to work on a part time basis in the social care sector. I never returned to the University after my maternity leave and I secured employment with Places for People working as project assistant, helping young single mums in a supporting living project gain life skills and helping them to live independently, this was challenging but very rewarding field of work. which was part time and more flexible hours. I also worked on a temporary basis in a refuge for women who were fleeing domestic violence. In 2006 I started my voluntary placement at NECA and completed my 100 hours professional counseling placement working with substance misuse clients. In 2008 I secured permanent employment with NECA and was employed for 10 years, I really enjoyed working in a completely different working environment and I worked in various departments, supporting service users with alcohol reduction plans, confidence issues, gambling issues, mental health, wellbeing advise, suicidal intervention, group therapies etc. Also at NECA I worked in the Progress2Work department which was funded by the DWP, the project aim was helping service users address any barriers that were preventing back into employment, I then went onto support the management team set up a brand new project in NECA, this project called Horizons this was a project helping support service users who had recovered from their substance misuse with a long term aim of gaining training skills and employment, In 2018 NECA lost the funding for substance misuse in South Tyneside, I then started my employment back at the University in November 2018, 15 years after I left.