From Representation to Integration: Lived Experience in Mental Health Teams: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Care
• Healthcare Integration
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Lived experience workers are crucial in mental health multidisciplinary teams.
• Challenges persist in integrating these workers, with knowledge gaps on their and clinicians' perspectives.
• Understanding these perspectives is vital for effective team functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore lived experience workers' and clinicians' perspectives on integrating lived experience roles in mental health teams.
• To identify barriers, facilitators, and impacts of this integration.
• To inform strategies for successful and sustainable inclusion.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews.
• Inclusion of lived experience workers (n=7) and mental health clinicians (n=7).
• Framework Analysis to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Systemic barriers impede integration.
• Lack of role clarity for lived experience workers limits their impact.
• Discipline-based defensiveness and clashing perspectives hinder collaboration.
• Four main themes emerged from the analysis.

Conclusions:

• Successful integration needs more than structural reform; it requires role clarity, shared responsibility, and trust.
• Addressing differing beliefs about authority and recovery is essential for transformative inclusion.
• Sustainable inclusion of lived experience workers is key to enhancing mental health care.