How and when to share experiences

Overview

There are a number of ways when your experience may be shared.  For example:

• you may choose to express your own personal experience and attribute it as such telling your own story and what you experienced (ie lived experience)
• You may share an experience but not directly attribute it to your own experience;
• You may relate an experience you have heard or read, without attributing it to anyone else, to share a point or provide information.

Giving a person the space to talk and share their feelings or tell their story can help make sense of what they are experiencing.  This can help the service user/patient feel listened to and less isolated. It can also help the individual make sense of their own thoughts and feelings; it also provide support, empowers the person and brings hope.

A Peer Support worker/lived experienced practitioner may also wish to share aspects of their recovery as a way of sharing how they maintain their health and wellbeing, which in turn may assist the patient/service user identify practices which are right for them. Ensuring a story is shared, without detracting from the patient’s own story is an aspect to be careful of.

Why is this important

Those working in mental health with lived experience can provide a personal insight into living with mental health, accessing and using mental health support and services and their recovery plan.  In other circumstances, staff who have worked in the NHS, Care and voluntary sectors will also have experience of their own.

However, working as a lived experience/peer support worker brings its own requirements for when and how you may wish to share, or not share, your own personal experience.  This practice not only provides support to the service user/patient but also to the support workers themselves.

The Peer Support worker competency framework explores in more detail the responsibility for sharing experience and when to be aware of using it.

Skills Review

Having completed this sub-topic I will understand the importance of these skills.

• I am able to share my experience when it is relevant/appropriate, maintain appropriate boundaries when doing so and not present as a solution or decision for the other person.