Welcoming places: Perspectives of individuals with mental illnesses.

Abstract

There are many factors that influence community participation of individuals with serious mental illnesses. Research often focuses on barriers to participation. This study, however, takes a different approach, by exploring features of community locations considered welcoming by individuals with serious mental illnesses. This is important because welcoming environments are more likely to promote community participation. Using a survey approach, 75 participants were asked to identify and describe locations where they felt welcomed as a person with a mental illness. Our findings suggest that there are a number of places within the general community individuals with serious mental illnesses perceive as welcoming. Participants described religious communities, restaurants/cafés shops, parks, libraries, and cultural centers. Welcoming places were often perceived as architecturally open, featuring natural light and plants. Places provided opportunities for individuals to engage in a number of activities (e.g., socializing, entertainment, improving health, among others); data suggest welcoming places facilitated reciprocal relationships. We link these findings to a number of key recovery principles and make recommendation for multilevel interventions. This study may facilitate conversations with mainstream community organizations about inclusion and strategies to create welcoming environments and with mental health providers to consider strategies to encourage participation in welcoming places. Public Policy Relevance StatementCommunity participation, an important determinant of health, is more likely to occur in settings in which individuals feel welcomed and included. Local policies should consider initiatives that establish criteria and certification for welcoming places including the sensory, physical, social, activity, and behavioral environments. These practices could increase the potential of communities to contribute to the inclusion, participation, and wellness of people with serious mental illnesses.

Participation in arts and culture among individuals with serious mental illnesses and its relationship to quality of life and recovery.

“…The art and cultural activity deemed to be important by the greatest number of individuals in our SMI sample was the library (70%), and yet, 57% of those individuals reported that they had not done it once in the past month (breadth) and 68% reported that they are not doing it as much as they would like (sufficiency). Other research has found that very few people with SMI mentioned libraries as a public space where they felt welcomed (Snethen et al, 2021). Therefore, it is plausible that stigma plays a role in decreased library attendance and possibly engagement in other areas.…”

“…Public libraries are always free to attend, perhaps more research needs to be done to understand why this important area is not being done enough. In locations where stigma may be an issue, trainings could be conducted to promote awareness about mental illness (Bowman et al, 2020; Morgan et al, 2021) and to create more inclusive environments (Snethen et al, 2021). Given that stigma can also be associated with increased social anxiety (Lysaker et al, 2010), it may be beneficial to find events or locations that are less crowded or that offer accommodations for people with disabilities.…”

Picturing healthcare: a photovoice study of how healthcare is experienced by service users in a mental-health low threshold service

“…Bearing all this in mind, we find that it is important that the framework for places like Lts is visible in the community so that people who need healthcare will see the health-promoting effect such centres have. Places that are welcoming and promote participation in the community are found to contribute to health and well-being for people struggling with their mental health [ 50 ].…”

“…Furthermore, our findings show that when people do activities, they know they manage and enjoy doing, a feeling of joy is created, and even greater joy is experienced from sharing the activity with others. Engagement in different activities makes meaningful social roles visible and is described by Snethen et al [ 50 ] as a desirable feature and important opportunity within community locations.…”

Recovery-oriented psychotherapy: Practical recommendations for psychologists in organized care settings.

“…These naturally occurring, causal relationships in the community, or “distal relationships,” are helpful for individuals’ community integration and recovery (Kriegel et al, 2020; Townley et al, 2013). In addition, people living with mental illnesses have identified religious organizations, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, libraries, and cultural centers as places in the community that are particularly welcoming (Snethen et al, 2021). Identifying gaps in resources will serve as a starting point for facilitating connection to any needed resources, while identifying strengths in resources will serve as support systems for the client as they strive toward their identified functional goals.…”