Sarah’s story
Writing for our 10 year anniversary series, Dr Sarah Carr shares her own experience of mental ill health and her involvement in our Lived Experience Partnership.
I know what a difference a good mental health professional can make.
I was hospitalised once and when I came out, I was supported by a community mental health team.
While my psychiatrist dealt with my medication, it was my mental health social worker and community mental health nurse who really helped me with my personal recovery. They focused on my individual support needs so I could begin my recovery journey.
The call to lived experience involvement
My own lived experience motivates me to work with others who have lived experience to improve and develop mental health services and support.
I know what a difference a good mental health professional can make.
I got involved with Think Ahead right at the beginning when I was invited to bring together a group of service users and carers to guide and influence the organisation and programme set up.
Believe it or not Think Ahead was quite controversial when it began. Its approach was different and some feathers were ruffled, but I was curious to know how I and others with lived experience could help shape it.
It was important for us to be there from the outset
As the charity has evolved over the past 10 years, so too has lived experience involvement.
Starting as the Service User and Carer Reference Group, the group is now the Lived Experience Partnership and our partners have developed their own identity and role. They bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, skills and talents and are hugely valued by us, our trainees and our partners.
Together we’re fostering a culture of co-production and there’s involvement across every area of our work.
One of our lived experience partners said they’re ‘sandpaper people’ whose grit shapes our work, and I think they have a very good point.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far and look forward to the next 10 years.
Dr Sarah Carr co-created our Lived Experience Partnership.
To mark our ten year anniversary, we’re sharing personal testimonies from people involved with our charity. From founding leaders of the charity and people with lived experience like Sarah, to trainees of ours, mental health practitioners, and our NHS and social care partners.
Read more on our stories page.