Lived experience: a case study on mental health

A case study of how a deliberative engagement workshop brought together the lived experiences of people with mental health issues to inform senior leadership at Mind, and ensure its new strategy was guided by the people it serves now and in the future.

THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELLED

What you’ll learn:

• The key principles of involving people with lived experience of mental health problems in deliberative processes
• The challenges of (and potential solutions for) bringing together informed and uninformed participants with well-informed senior stakeholders within a deliberative process
• A case study of how research and engagement has had an impact on decision making and strategy development
• Building consensus (or not) within strategy development processes involving multiple stakeholders

In 2019, research and consultancy organisation Traverse worked with Mind to design a deliberative engagement workshop, bringing together 25 people with lived experience of mental health problems to inform the charity’s new strategy and ensure the charity is genuinely guided by the people it serves now and into the future.

Taking a consensus-building approach, the workshop was inclusive and sensitive to the needs of participants, for example providing a quiet space to allow time away from the group and using trust-building activities such as a diversity circle. Mind’s CEO, a Trustee and several staff attended the workshop to be part of the discussions and hear first-hand what was most important to participants.

The findings were used immediately with several senior teams at Mind, with two workshop participants attending a Board meeting to talk through the headline findings and what they got out of the process. This enabled the participants to represent not only themselves but also the voices of their peers directly, which proved very powerful for the charity and everyone involved.

About the speakers:

Bethan Peach is a Senior Consultant at Traverse, specialising in social research and evaluation for the third sector. She is passionate about and experienced in designing qualitative methodologies that enable a deep insight into lived realities. Bethan has recently managed projects for the RNIB and the GLA, as well as leading the evaluation for Essex County Council of its Family Innovation Fund. Bethan is also a qualified yoga teacher, specialising in working with people with chronic illness, stress and anxiety.

Joanna Moss has worked at Mind for over five years, including on its Time to Change and Blue Light programmes, and is now Interim Head of Business Development. She has previously worked in HIV prevention and sexual health. Joanna project-managed this work for Mind, ensuring the outputs of the deliberative sessions were embedded into Mind’s ongoing strategy development process.

Booking will open 6 weeks before the event takes place.