[What useful qualities and practices should mental health care providers exhibit? A mixed-methods user-led study]

The Clubhouse Bordeaux initiative, a community of individuals with direct experience of mental health services, decided to identify and examine positive experiences in order to enhance the provision of care that aligns with the preferences of service users.

The aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to identify the professional practices and skills that mental health service users consider to be useful, and secondly, to assess the relative importance of these practices and skills in terms of frequency of occurrence.

A survey was conducted online with the objective of gathering information from psychiatric service users in France. The content of the survey was developed through a participatory, user-led study approach.

A total of 128 users participated in the survey. Ten practices, such as user involvement in decision-making, accurate diagnosis, person-centered support, and clear information about care, were identified as useful. Similarly, ten professional skills, including trust, empathy, honesty, transmission of hope, and belief in the potential for recovery, were also considered beneficial. However, it was observed that few service users reported frequently benefiting from these practices and skills.

The results indicate that service users seek professionals who are both experts in providing support and trusted equals who facilitate their empowerment. Implementing these practices and skills in clinical practice could better align with the preferences expressed by service users.