What is it about?
This paper summarizes the findings of research with mental health professionals who have personally experienced mental health challenges, their colleagues and supervisors. It identifies attributes of their workplace environment that might support or discourage them from speaking openly about their experiences. It is suggested that, speaking openly about their experiences is supportive of access to reasonable accommodations, effective use of supervision and peer support, and addressing beliefs about recovery from mental health challenges that might be harmful to service users.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because negative beliefs about people who experience mental health challenges, sometimes referred to as stigma, affect the capacity of mental health services to support the emotional well being of their staff and service users in their recovery journey.
Perspectives
I believe mental health professionals speaking of their own experiences is a powerful resource for reducing stigma associated with mental health challenges, breaking down the "us and them" wall between service users and staff and reminding us of our common humanity.
Alicia King
La Trobe University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Factors Affecting Mental Health Professionals’ Sharing of Their Lived Experience in the Workplace: A Scoping Review, Psychiatric Services, October 2020, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.201900606.
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