‘It is meant to be heart rather than head’; International perspectives of teaching from lived experience in mental health nursing programs

Abstract

Consumer participation is a clear expectation of contemporary mental health policy. Most activity has concentrated in direct service delivery, and academic roles for mental health consumers have been slow to establish. An international project was undertaken to implement and evaluate meaningful consumer involvement in mental health nursing education. A learning module was co‐produced between ‘Experts by Experience’ (drawing on experience of mental distress and service use) and Mental Health Nurse Academics. This qualitative exploratory study aimed to capture how Experts by Experience perceive their contribution. Interviews were undertaken with Experts by Experience who delivered the learning module. Data were analysed thematically and subsequently interpreted with Critical Social Theory. Two main themes emerged from the findings: ‘there wasn't a barrier’ described how personal narratives enhanced relationships between Experts by Experience and students; and ‘made the human being visible’, described their experiences of allowing students to see the person behind a diagnosis. These findings suggest Experts by Experience teaching is valuable and potentially a tool in redressing stigma. Addressing poor public perceptions could attract higher numbers of quality practitioners to mental health and meet identified workforce shortages. The findings presented here strengthen the evidence base for Expert by Experience roles in mental health professional education. These findings can be considered in international curricula reviews and aid progress towards a more socio‐political, humanistic focus in mental health nursing, congruent with rights‐based reform agendas.

What mental health nurses have to say about themselves: A discourse analysis

“…This view of MHNs being similar regardless of geography, training, or experience was evident in international collaborations exploring educational initiatives. For example, Bocking et al (2019) explored international perspectives of teaching from lived experiences in mental health nursing programmes (MHNs = 20). There was no definition of what counted as a mental health nursing programme or what constituted a mental health nursing academic.…”

Service user involvement in an undergraduate nursing programme

“…The new understanding emerging as the . as the students were able to empathise and truly understand the experience of living with a mental health illness/distress (Byrne et al 2013, Bramley andMatiti 2014) as well as explore their own attitudes and those of their peer and colleagues with a view to changing and challenging negative stereotypes and practice (Byrne et al 2014.. Bocking et al (2019) as well as confirming that there is little in the evidence base to support the impact of SUs involvement in learning for students, suggestsoffers a further pedagogical perspective by way of explanation for the positive impact of the SU narratives, that which focusses onhighlight the dialogues between SU and student, that of 'liberation or emancipatory education' based on the work of Friere (1970( , cited Bocking et 2019). This approach suggests that the encouraged active involvement of the student assees learning and knowledge are co-created with the SUs through the emerging questions and organic dialogue as opposed to the traditional didactic planned taught approach.…”

“…As part of the teaching team, the SUs chose to use storytelling , sharing their experiences of mental health services and mental ill-health/distress, within the sessions. The SUs were experienced facilitators of learning and chose the content, style and delivery of the stories, their aim to bring a 'humanistic' perspective to care in sharing their personal experiences (Grant et al 2012, Bocking et al, 2019). Commonly the themes of the narratives highlighted the importance of interpersonal skills and communication/use of language and also the prevailing challenges for service users regarding treatment options (including coercion and availability of responsive services) plusand stigma surrounding diagnoses (Bocking et al 2019) alongside including appreciation and application of the Recovery approach approaches to Recovery.…”

“…Commonly the themes of the narratives highlighted the importance of recovery approaches, interpersonal skills and communication/use of language and also the prevailing challenges for service users regarding treatment options plus (including coercion and availability of responsive services). Also included was the effects of stigma surrounding diagnoses (Bocking et al 2019). alongside appreciation and application of approaches to recovery.…”

Experts by experience in mental health nursing education: What have we learned from the commune project?

“…Interviews with EBE supported many of these findings, and they observed significant differences in students' development throughout the module. Seeing the person behind the diagnosis was a prominent theme of the analysis (Bocking et al., 2019). EBE observed students developing a stronger understanding of recovery, with EBE themselves as role models for recovery.…”