Jaz Chisholm1,2, Melissa Petrakis1,3. 1. Department of Social Work, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Caulfield East, Australia. 2. Eastern Health, Mental Health Service, Melbourne, Australia. 3. Mental Health Service, St Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne), Fitzroy, Australia.
Abstract
Purpose: Recovery-oriented practice (ROP) is growing internationally in mental health services. The study aimed to examine the perspectives of peer workers about ROP pre-implementation within one service. This is important to improve clinicians' understandings of how service users feel and experience the organization's culture, thereby improving recovery focus.Method: A focus group using semi-structured questions. The research design was a social constructivist exploratory study, utilizing a narrative approach. The data collected were qualitative, and analyzed for meaning units and categories in the data. Results: Eight participants were service user and carer peer workers. Peer workers considered their roles as educating clinicians, representing service users, aiding in cultural/systemic shifts in services, and as leaders. Peer workers add lived experience and can contribute to clinician uptake and fidelity of practice in ROP. Conclusion: The study contributes to the growing evidence that the inclusion of peer workers in mental health services is advantageous in the implementation of ROP to ensure a lived experience grounded perspective underpins practice and policy change.
Purpose: Recovery-oriented practice (ROP) is growing internationally in mental health services. The study aimed to examine the perspectives of peer workers about ROP pre-implementation within one service. This is important to improve clinicians' understandings of how service users feel and experience the organization's culture, thereby improving recovery focus.Method: A focus group using semi-structured questions. The research design was a social constructivist exploratory study, utilizing a narrative approach. The data collected were qualitative, and analyzed for meaning units and categories in the data. Results: Eight participants were service user and carer peer workers. Peer workers considered their roles as educating clinicians, representing service users, aiding in cultural/systemic shifts in services, and as leaders. Peer workers add lived experience and can contribute to clinician uptake and fidelity of practice in ROP. Conclusion: The study contributes to the growing evidence that the inclusion of peer workers in mental health services is advantageous in the implementation of ROP to ensure a lived experience grounded perspective underpins practice and policy change.
Entities:
Keywords:
Recovery-oriented practice; co-design; coproduction; critical social work; mental health; peer workers; practice-based research