“Wounded Healers”: the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice
| Published date | 30 March 2012 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556221211230570 |
| Pages | 33-41 |
| Date | 30 March 2012 |
| Author | Peter Gilbert,Theodore Stickley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
‘‘Wounded Healers’’: the role of
lived-experience in mental health
education and practice
Peter Gilbert and Theodore Stickley
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 Empathy, Lived experience, Mental health services, Nurses, Social workers,
Wounded Healers
Paper type Research paper
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief can know the mighty rapture. Sorrow comes to stretch
out the spaces in the heart for joy (Edwin Markham, 1852-1940).
Introduction
There is a growing literature regarding service user involvement in mental health education
(Tew et al., 2003; Simons et al., 2007; Kemp in Weinstein, 2010; Wallcraft, 2010).
Furthermore, in recent years the Mental Health in Higher Education project has championed
such involvement through their web site and by organising symposia and conferences that
draw upon service user contributions. There is however little by way of literature that
examines the mental health problems of students of mental health care and how these lived-
experiences might influence their learning and practice. The concept of the Wounded
Healer is established in the counselling and psychotherapy literature and has been
relevantly applied to mental health care (Barker, 1996; Brandon, 1999).
In this article the experiences of 30 mental health students are presented. This study reports
the findings from an informal survey of 20 social work students and 10 mental health nursing
students. The paper debates whether the concept of the Wounded Healer is relevant to
today’s mental health education and practice.
Background
In October 2002, the Department of Health (DH) published a report demanding the end of
stigma and discrimination on the grounds of mental ill health in employment in the NHS
(DH, 2002). Prior to this time, there was a greatdeal of scepticism, especially within nursing, of
employing people with mental health problems. This was largely influenced by the Allitt Inquiry
(Clothier,1994) which led to the Clothier Report, an inquiry into the deaths andinjuries caused
DOI 10.1108/17556221211230570 VOL. 7 NO. 1 2012, pp. 33-41, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228
j
THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
j
PAGE 33
Peter Gilbert is Emeritus
Professor of Social Work
and Spirituality at
Staffordshire University,
Stoke-on-Trent, UK.
Theodore Stickley is an
Associate Professor at the
University of Nottingham,
Nottingham, UK.
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