‘Things you can't learn from books’: Teaching recovery from a lived experience perspective

Abstract

Mental health policy in Australia is committed to the development of recovery-focused services and facilitating consumer participation in all aspects of mental health service delivery. Negative attitudes of mental health professionals have been identified as a major barrier to achieving these goals. Although the education of health professionals has been identified as a major strategy, there is limited evidence to suggest that consumers are actively involved in this education process. The aim of this qualitative study was to evaluate students' views and opinions at having been taught 'recovery in mental health nursing' by a person with a lived experience of significant mental health challenges. In-depth interviews were held with 12 students. Two main themes were identified: (i) 'looking through fresh eyes' - what it means to have a mental illness; and (ii) 'it's all about the teaching'. The experience was perceived positively; students referred to the impact made on their attitudes and self-awareness, and their ability to appreciate the impact of mental illness on the individual person. Being taught by a person with lived experience was considered integral to the process. This innovative approach could enhance consumer participation and recovery-focused care.

The Views of Heads of Schools of Nursing about Mental Health Nursing Content in Undergraduate Programs

“…Consumer participation in mental health services is firmly embedded in mental health policy (Commonwealth of Australia, 2012) and was included as one of the guiding principles for mental health nursing education in the report of the Commonwealth government auspice taskforce (Mental Nurse Education Taskforce, 2008). Benefits to student learning have been demonstrated as resulting from consumer involvement in education , including attitudinal change (Byrne et al, 2013b;, and a more holistic approach to nursing practice (Byrne, Happell, Welch, & Moxham, 2013a). However, consumer involvement has been identified as uncommon and inconsistent in its approach and effectiveness .…”

“…We do know attitudes to mental health nursing can be positively influenced by education (Curtis, 2007;Happell, 2008a;Henderson, Happell, & Martin, 2007;O'Brien, Buxton, & Gillies, 2008) and by consumer involvement in education, in particular (Anghel & Ramon, 2009;Byrne, Happell, Welch, & Moxham, 2013b;Happell, Pinikahana, & Roper, 2003;. The literature also suggests that the number of mental health nurse academics is insufficient, 331 frequently rendering them powerless to make and sustain positive changes to curricula (Clinton, 2001;Moxham et al, 2011).…”

Can a clinical placement influence stigma? An analysis of measures of social distance

“…As a result, people exposed to this type of familiarisation may be less likely to distance themselves from a person with lived experience. By placing a person in direct contact with someone who has a mental illness, stigma can be reduced through combining new information and challenging negative beliefs (Ashe, 2015; Byrne et al, 2013).…”

A Major Stream in Mental Health in Undergraduate Nursing Programmes: Identifying the Benefits and Acknowledging the Innovation

“…Holistic nursing care tailored to meet the individual bio-psycho-social needs of people diagnosed with mental illness is espoused as central to undergraduate nursing curricula (Ghaemi, 2009;Wand & Murray, 2008). The degree to which this holistic approach is actually realised has been challenged, with the persistent negative attitudes towards mental illness and mental health nursing cited as evidence that the philosophy is not currently fully embraced (Byrne, Happell, Welch, & Moxham, 2013;Ghaemi, 2009;Stevens et al, 2013;Surgenor, Dunn, & Horn, 2005).…”