The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

Oates, Jennifer; Hassan, Rasiha; Coster, Sam

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-01-2021-0003

This paper aims to present a thematic analysis of student nurses’ experiences of an innovative collaboration between a mental health Recovery College and a nursing faculty, where Recovery College trainers’ expertise in co-production and peer facilitation were foregrounded. The aim of this study is to understand how nursing students experienced being peer facilitators of well-being workshops for fellow students following training with Recovery College trainers.Design/methodology/approachThematic analysis of qualitative data from eight semi-structured interviews and a focus group with 15 participants.FindingsThe overarching theme that emerged was “The process of being a student Peer Facilitator”. Six themes emerged from the data: “What we brought”; “Conceptualisation”; “Adaptation”; “we’re giving them the tools”; “What we gained”; and “Development”.Practical implicationsMental health nurse educators could forge collaborative relationships with Recovery College colleagues with a broader remit than service users’ “lived experience” of mental distress. Student nurses should be given opportunities to be peer facilitators and draw on their lived experience as student nurses as means of addressing their and their peers’ mental health.Originality/valueOriginal findings were that the student experience of being a peer facilitator was different to their other experiences in education and clinical practice. They drew on their lived experience throughout and found that they learned skills to address their well-being through supporting other students to improve theirs.

Chowdhury, Dalia

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-06-2021-0070

Workforce development in rural communities to address a surge in opioid addiction and overdose related hospitalizations has been an unaddressed issue in the USA. This study aims to present an integrated, trauma-informed, behavioral workforce development initiative in a midwestern rural setting in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThis is a mixed method, two-phased study: the first phase tracked and analyzed two focus group conferences involving experts (n = 6) and professionals (n = 8) to develop a training protocol; the second phase provided a training (n = 101), based on the protocol to future professionals and compared competencies before and after the implementation of the training.FindingsThere is a need of a trauma integrated approach in providing interprofessional training connecting health-care workers in rural communities to address the current opioid crisis to bring about cohesion among integrated and interdisciplinary teams. Workforce building will need to implement best practices not only among medical providers but among community mental health practitioners in rural areas.Originality/valueThis is a unique trauma-informed workforce development initiative in a rural community. Such studies are extremely limited and almost non-existent. Further initiatives need to be taken in this field to identify unique differences within communities that may hinder implementation.

Richmond, Erin; McColm, Robert; McCaig, Marie; Binnie, Vikki

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-04-2021-0038

In support of the national requirement “to ensure that Scotland has a workforce that is fully aware of the impact of trauma, and is equipped to respond appropriately to people who have experienced trauma at any age”, Trauma Awareness Training was delivered to various public sector organisations across Dumfries and Galloway. Research has shown that trauma can significantly impact quality of life (Svanberg, Bonney and McNair, 2011; Bentall et al., 2014). A trauma-informed practice workshop was created and evaluated in response to a need for training within public services for individuals working with clients whom have experienced trauma.Design/methodology/approachFrom May 2018 to December 2019, 10 one-day Trauma-Awareness Training courses were delivered, engaging 224 public service workers from Police Scotland, Scottish Fire Service, Relationship Scotland, Shelter Scotland and DandG Council staff working with trauma-experienced individuals. The training was delivered via PowerPoint, short videos, whiteboard explanations/drawings and case examples. The morning workshop concentrated on defining psychological trauma, understanding the psychological process of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the subsequent consequences. The afternoon session focussed primarily on complex PTSD, the role of adverse childhood experiences, attachment and emotional regulation/dysregulation and trauma-focused working with the wider multi-disciplinary workforce. The training concluded with participants developing strategies for coping with trauma. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: pre-training questionnaire on perceived knowledge of trauma and delivering trauma practice. Post-training questionnaire on perceived knowledge of trauma and delivering trauma practice to assess change and training evaluation. A third questionnaire was issued seven months after training to establish the impact of training on practice.FindingsFindings evidence a positive impact on person-centred care. In terms of quality improvement, participants felt: The training was relevant across services and raised awareness of the importance of trauma-informed practice. They had a greater awareness of trauma-related issues with individuals. Confident in implementing learned skills to assist those who have experience of trauma. They could build better relationships with their service users, with patients feeling more understood.Originality/valueProject findings identified a need for multi-organisational working and consultancy from psychological services to improve access to services. Ultimately, brief trauma-awareness training for staff can lead to more positive experiences for patients.

Peebles, Imogen; Brown, Beccy; Juster, Emma; Duffy, Fiona

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-08-2020-0056

Peer support, such as mentorship and befriending, has been found to have a valuable impact on a range of outcomes. There are multiple formats, including face-to-face (individually and group), and in online forums. Advancement in technology has enabled online peer support to increase in popularity; however, little is known about mechanisms underpinning individual one to one online peer interactions. The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively explore the mechanisms underpinning email exchanges in an eating disorder peer support service.Design/methodology/approachEmail transcripts from dyads in a moderated peer-to-peer email support service were analysed using inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006).FindingsThe thematic analysis generated five themes as mechanisms of peer support. Relating and reflecting experience was the central superordinate theme. Subthemes included Positive Encouragement, Checking in and Prompting, Being a Confidante and Defining Recovery.Originality/valueThe current findings align with previous research and add new developments. The theme of Defining Recovery added the awareness of the personal perception of recovery, which had not been considered as a mechanism in previous literature and may be specific to this digital platform. This study could assist in the development of training for the provision of further peer support within eating disorder services.

Bester, Karen Louise; McGlade, Anne; Darragh, Eithne

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-05-2021-0046

“Co-production” is a process in health and social care wherein service users and practitioners work in partnership. Recovery colleges (RCs) are educational establishments offering mental health education; a cornerstone feature is that courses are designed and delivered in parity by both mental health practitioners and “peers” – people with lived experience of mental illness. This paper aims to consider, through the identification of key themes, whether co-production within RCs is operating successfully.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a systematic review of qualitative literature. Relevant concept groups were systematically searched using three bibliographic databases: Medline, Social Care Online and Scopus. Articles were quality appraised and then synthesised through inductive thematic analysis and emergent trends identified.FindingsSynthesis identified three key themes relating to the impact of co-production in RCs: practitioner attitudes, power dynamics between practitioners and service users, and RCs’ relationships with their host organisations. As a result of RC engagement, traditional practitioner/patient hierarchies were found to be eroding. Practitioners felt they were more person-centred. RCs can model good co-productive practices to their host organisations. The review concluded, with some caveats, that RC co-production was of high fidelity.Originality/valueRC research is growing, but the body of evidence remains relatively small. Most of what exists examine the impact of RCs on individuals’ overall recovery and mental health; there is a limited empirical investigation into whether their flagship feature of parity between peers and practitioners is genuine.

King, Shannon C.; Rebar, Amanda L.; Oliveri, Paul; Stanton, Robert

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-03-2021-0027

Australian paramedics regularly encounter patients experiencing mental illness. However, some paramedics hold negative attitudes towards the use of emergency services in providing care for these patients. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the mental health literacy (MHL) of Australian paramedic students, and the training and experiential factors associated with MHL.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional online survey was delivered to paramedic students across Australia. A total of 94 paramedic students completed the survey examining MHL, mental health first aid (MHFA) intentions, confidence in providing help, personal and perceived stigma and willingness to interact with a person experiencing mental illness.FindingsParticipants generally had poor MHFA intentions in spite of good recognition of mental health disorders and good knowledge about mental health. Participants also demonstrated low stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness; however, they expressed a lack of willingness to interact with a person experiencing mental illness.Originality/valueOur findings propose a combination of work-based experience and specific MHFA training may be beneficial to paramedic students to improve care for patients experiencing mental illness.

Clark, Michael; Bradley, Andy; Simms, Laura; Waites, Benna; Scott, Alister; Jones, Charlie; Dodd, Paul; Howell, Tom; Tinsley, Giles

2022 The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice

doi: 10.1108/jmhtep-03-2021-0030

This paper aims to discuss the importance of compassion in health care and experiences of Compassion Circles (CCs) in supporting it, placing this into the national policy context of the National Health Service (NHS), whilst focusing on lessons from using the practice in mental health care.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper is a discussion of the context of compassion in health care and a description of model and related concepts of CCs. This paper also discusses lessons from implementation of CCs in mental health care.FindingsCCs were developed from an initial broad concern with the place of compassion and well-being in communities and organisations, particularly in health and social care after a number of scandals about failures of care. Through experience CCs have been refined into a flexible model of supporting staff in mental health care settings. Experience to date suggests they are a valuable method of increasing compassion for self and others, improving relationships between team members and raising issues of organisational support to enable compassionate practice.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is a discussion of CCs and their conceptual underpinnings and of insights and lessons from their adoption to date, and more robust evaluation is required.Practical implicationsAs an emergent area of practice CCs have been seen to present a powerful and practical approach to supporting individual members of staff and teams. Organisations and individuals might wish to join the community of practice that exists around CCs to consider the potential of this intervention in their workplaces and add to the growing body of learning about it. It is worth further investigation to examine the impact of CCs on current concerns with maintaining staff well-being and engagement, and, hence, on stress, absence and the sustainability of work environments over time.Social implicationsCCs present a promising means of developing a culture and practice of more compassion in mental health care and other care contexts.Originality/valueCCs have become supported in national NHS guidance and more support to adopt, evaluate and learn from this model is warranted. This paper is a contribution to developing a better understanding of the CCs model, implementation lessons and early insights into impact.