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Oliver’s story

Writing for our 10 year anniversary series, Oliver discusses his involvement in the lived experience movement.

I was pleased to see the voices of people with lived experience having such a clear impact. It felt like – this is something that’s going to make a difference.

I started using mental health services when I was a child. I had my first inpatient stay when I was 15, and one another couple of years later which was a deeply unpleasant experience.

Mental health services were an integral part of my life, but a lot of what I experienced felt like it was out of my control. I got lost in what happened around me, and I wasn’t able to say what I wanted.

I felt that I didn’t matter as a person to the services looking after me. That experience firmed my resolve to be involved in my own care as much as I could and not “done to” as much.

Remembering the people in front of us

When I found Think Ahead I was pleased to see the voices of people with lived experience having such a clear impact. It felt like – this is something that’s going to make a difference.

The absolute best feeling is when I get a question or a comment from a trainee that shows their thinking has changed – they’re starting to see less of the system, the labels and the diagnosis, and more of the person and how they can work together.

A key part of creating good mental health services is good relationships. We need to bring together the professionals and the people who are using the services to create shared understanding and shared values.

The absolute best feeling is when I get a question or a comment from a trainee that shows their thinking has changed – they’re starting to see less of the system, the labels and the diagnosis, and more of the person and how they can work together.

Seeing that spark of change shows that the work we’re doing will pay off for years, and that person will make a really positive difference in the world. Those moments are huge and that’s what drives me to want to keep doing more.


Oliver was Chair of our Lived Experience Partnership between 2018 – 2023 and still involved with the group.

To mark our ten year anniversary, we’re sharing personal testimonies from people involved with our charity.  From people with lived experience of mental health services like Oliver, to trainees of ours,  mental health practitioners, and our NHS and social care partners. 

Read more of these on our stories page.