Everyone’s mental health journey is unique. And it’s rare that it follows a straight line. Through sharing personal stories, we can help others gain better understanding of what it’s truly like to live with, and work through mental health difficulties.
The voice of each patient, carer and staff members matters. That’s why this page is always evolving – as new stories, perspectives, and creative expressions are added, we invite you to be part of the conversation.
There’s no one way to get involved. We’re committed to meeting people where they are, offering the flexibility for them to share experiences in whatever way feels right. It might be through written reflections, artwork, poetry, or something else entirely. You might wish to tell your story, offer feedback on our communications, or share your thoughts on what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for you.
Perhaps you’d like to help shape our services by joining one of our interview panels or getting involved with our lived experience advisory group. However you choose to participate, your contribution is valued – and together, we can continue to grow and improve, making sure everyone feels heard and supported.
A relatable story?
Below, one of our Expert by Experience participants shares her journey of turning her own lived experience into positive change, working side by side with healthcare professionals and other young people.
Her story highlights the power of being heard, valued, and involved in shaping services and experiences for others who are facing mental health challenges.
Some ways I have been involved since my experience of tier 4 CAMHS have been a quality improvement project, lived experience groups and interviewing staff.
Being involved in this way has helped me to give back, helped others and has helped to bring about positive change out of a difficult time. The work I have done included working alongside healthcare professionals with interpreting and presenting results of questionnaires completed by young people on CAMHS units and discussions with other young people and then reflecting on our experiences to come up with ideas to help services to make improvements. Staff can imagine what it’s like to be a young person on a CAMHS unit but young people, parents and carers with lived experience know what it’s like to be a service user and have so many ideas! By doing this work I have discovered that my ideas are valuable!
Sitting in on interview panels has been a really interesting experience, I was a little nervous at first, but everything was explained very clearly! The people who look after you when you are unwell have such an impact on how well you recover and being involved in the process of helping to inform hiring decisions has been rewarding (even though it has been tricky when there have been lots of good candidates!) When I have been involved, I have never felt pressure to share anything I have felt uncomfortable sharing, and my contributions have been received with gratitude and patience.
I have gained so much confidence from lived experience work! I used to struggle to share my experiences and ideas, but this work has helped me to feel empowered. Being able to share what has helped me in my own recovery has helped to motivate me to take extra care of myself when I am struggling as it is a reminder that I can help others and to do that I must look after myself.
I would say to anyone considering getting involved as an expert by experience: your experiences matter, your voice matters, your ideas are so, so important and services want to hear from you and want to help you to be involved in whatever way works for you!”