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“Wounded Healers”: the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice

Peter Gilbert (Emeritus Professor of Social Work and Spirituality at Staffordshire University, Stoke‐on‐Trent, UK)
Theodore Stickley (Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK)

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice

ISSN: 1755-6228

Article publication date: 30 March 2012

1777

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to focus on the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice as perceived by undergraduate students.

Design/methodology/approach

A small qualitative survey was conducted among Social Work and Mental Health Nursing students who were asked about their own experiences of mental ill health and its possible impact on their practice.

Findings

The article is contextualised in the concept of “Wounded Healers” as a number of students had previously (and were currently) experiencing mental distress.

Originality/value

There is a strong sense that students believe that their personal experiences inform their practice, and that this may assist them in empathising constructively with service users, within the boundaries of a professional relationship.

Keywords

Citation

Gilbert, P. and Stickley, T. (2012), "“Wounded Healers”: the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 33-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/17556221211230570

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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