Using lived experience to develop a personal narrative workshop programme in order to aid mental health recovery

Background: According to Slade's Personal Recovery Framework, mental health recovery involves developing a positive identity, reframing experiences, developing self-management and valued social roles.Aim: This study explored how developing a personal narrative can support mental health recovery through reframing and developing a more positive identity. This paper provides an overview of the study's three phases and the resultant Personal Narrative Workshop Programme.Method: Phase 1 involved developing and analysing my own recovery narrative using autoethnography. Phase 2 used Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore the experience of other service users, with co-researchers recruited to two focus groups. Six co-researchers continued into Phase 3 (three cycles of PAR) to develop the workshop programme.Results: An eight-session workshop programme was co-produced and fully documented.Conclusions: Developing a narrative is not benign: it can involve reliving trauma; and dealing with the 'voice of others' in our narratives can be difficult. As a result, the workshop programme aimed to provide a supportive environment, promoting collaboration and validation. Methodological issues resulted from the complexities of using a PAR approach, and on the multiplicity of roles for the researcher.