Perlman, Dana J. Dr.

<strong>Students and Consumers: Learning from one another</strong><br /><br />Recovery Camp is the first of its kind in Australia, incorporating aspects of research, teaching and learning, whilst contributing to personal recovery of mental illness. Due to Recovery Camp existing outside of a ‘traditional’ clinical placement setting, it enables student’s presence in a consumer’s daily life and promotes both personal and professional reflection <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Patterson et al., 2017)</a>. People with lived experiences of mental illness are experts by experience, drawing on their personal experiences with mental illness and mental health services to guide student learning. The experts by experience actively contribute to students knowledge, skills and attitude toward mental illness and toward people who live with mental illness. This approach to learning affords students of pre-registration health programs with a unique training opportunity that isn't found elsewhere in Australia. Through immersion, students are able to gain a deeper understanding of lived experience. Students have shown to benefit from such an approach, with increases found in clinical confidence and competence <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Patterson et al., 2017)</a>, and decreases in stigmatising attitudes <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4159/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Moxham et al., 2016)</a>. Consequently, people with lived experiences of mental illness are empowered by a change in identity from 'a person with a illness' to that of ‘teacher’ <a href="display/publication114199" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Picton et al., 2018)</a>. Their lived experience contributions are shaping a more compassionate health workforce.<br /><br /><em>“Thanks to the encouragements of the camp I now feel I have the courage to face a challenging but rewarding future should it be what is intended for me in the scheme of things”</em> (Camp participant who lives with a mental illness).<br /><br /><p> “<em>…we get fed a whole load of information about mental health, but nothing beats hands on experience. I found I learnt many invaluable lessons from being surrounded by other researchers, health professionals, students from different faculties, and consumers</em>” (Psychology student).</p><strong><br />Health professionals<br /></strong><br />The impact of this research also spans to current health professionals who attend Recovery Camp as a professional development opportunity. Whilst at Recovery Camp they become re-invigorated and return to their usual work environment as agents of change. Recovery Camp enhances their compassion and recovery focused ways of working through strengths based person centred approaches. The Recovery Camp experience ensures that these health professionals are skilled in trauma informed care and have a personal recovery-oriented will result in better care for people who are living with mental illness.<br /><br /><strong><strong>Carers<br /><br /></strong></strong>Carers report the impact of their carer duties on their health and wellbeing to be significant, from regular anxiety and worry, to ‘constant’ tiredness and negative effects on interpersonal relationship. Recovery Camp provides carers with five days of respite, which has significant positive impact, enabling their continued, efficacious caregiving responsibilities. Carers describe "not having to worry" whilst their loved one is at Recovery Camp because it is a safe supportive environment. Knowing their loved one is safe, growing in confidence and is also having fun "lifts a weight" off carers minds.<br /><br /><p><em>“While she’s gone, I can do whatever I want. Visit my friends. Go out for lunch. Relax! I needed this to unwind. [Name removed] is hard work, but I have to do it [care for her] so she can have a life”</em> (Carer of person living with mental illness who attends Recovery Camp).<br /><br /><strong>Clinical Facilitators</strong><br /><br />Clinical facilitators at Recovery Camp are primarily there to enhance and guide student learning. However, unlike other 'traditional' work integrated learning facilitator roles, clinical facilitators at Recovery Camp not only engage with and assess student learning but also work closely with people who have a mental illness in their group. This has been the subject of an Honours research project which found facilitators at Recovery Camp enjoy being able to role model clinical skills whilst also enhancing student learning. Facilitators describe their role as professionally satisfying and one that positively impacts students and also people with lived experience <a href="display/publication139422" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Hall & Perlman, 2019)</a>. </p>

<strong>Students and Consumers: Learning from one another</strong><br /><br />Recovery Camp is the first of its kind in Australia, incorporating aspects of research, teaching and learning, whilst contributing to personal recovery of mental illness. Due to Recovery Camp existing outside of a ‘traditional’ clinical placement setting, it enables student’s presence in a consumer’s daily life and promotes both personal and professional reflection <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Patterson et al., 2017)</a>. People with lived experiences of mental illness are experts by experience, drawing on their personal experiences with mental illness and mental health services to guide student learning. The experts by experience actively contribute to students knowledge, skills and attitude toward mental illness and toward people who live with mental illness. This approach to learning affords students of pre-registration health programs with a unique training opportunity that isn't found elsewhere in Australia. Through immersion, students are able to gain a deeper understanding of lived experience. Students have shown to benefit from such an approach, with increases found in clinical confidence and competence <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Patterson et al., 2017)</a>, and decreases in stigmatising attitudes <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/4159/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Moxham et al., 2016)</a>. Consequently, people with lived experiences of mental illness are empowered by a change in identity from 'a person with a illness' to that of ‘teacher’ <a href="display/publication114199" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Picton et al., 2018)</a>. Their lived experience contributions are shaping a more compassionate health workforce.<br /><br /><em>“Thanks to the encouragements of the camp I now feel I have the courage to face a challenging but rewarding future should it be what is intended for me in the scheme of things”</em> (Camp participant who lives with a mental illness).<br /><br /><p> “<em>…we get fed a whole load of information about mental health, but nothing beats hands on experience. I found I learnt many invaluable lessons from being surrounded by other researchers, health professionals, students from different faculties, and consumers</em>” (Psychology student).</p><strong><br />Health professionals<br /></strong><br />The impact of this research also spans to current health professionals who attend Recovery Camp as a professional development opportunity. Whilst at Recovery Camp they become re-invigorated and return to their usual work environment as agents of change. Recovery Camp enhances their compassion and recovery focused ways of working through strengths based person centred approaches. The Recovery Camp experience ensures that these health professionals are skilled in trauma informed care and have a personal recovery-oriented will result in better care for people who are living with mental illness.<br /><br /><strong><strong>Carers<br /><br /></strong></strong>Carers report the impact of their carer duties on their health and wellbeing to be significant, from regular anxiety and worry, to ‘constant’ tiredness and negative effects on interpersonal relationship. Recovery Camp provides carers with five days of respite, which has significant positive impact, enabling their continued, efficacious caregiving responsibilities. Carers describe "not having to worry" whilst their loved one is at Recovery Camp because it is a safe supportive environment. Knowing their loved one is safe, growing in confidence and is also having fun "lifts a weight" off carers minds.<br /><br /><p><em>“While she’s gone, I can do whatever I want. Visit my friends. Go out for lunch. Relax! I needed this to unwind. [Name removed] is hard work, but I have to do it [care for her] so she can have a life”</em> (Carer of person living with mental illness who attends Recovery Camp).<br /><br /><strong>Clinical Facilitators</strong><br /><br />Clinical facilitators at Recovery Camp are primarily there to enhance and guide student learning. However, unlike other 'traditional' work integrated learning facilitator roles, clinical facilitators at Recovery Camp not only engage with and assess student learning but also work closely with people who have a mental illness in their group. This has been the subject of an Honours research project which found facilitators at Recovery Camp enjoy being able to role model clinical skills whilst also enhancing student learning. Facilitators describe their role as professionally satisfying and one that positively impacts students and also people with lived experience <a href="display/publication139422" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Hall & Perlman, 2019)</a>. </p>