Project title
‘Supporting Peer Support’- A Grounded Theory Study of organisational support for Lived Experience Practitioners in an NHS Foundation Trust.
Profile summary
My PhD research explores the social processes of support for the introduction of a mental health peer worker project within an NHS Trust. Increasingly individuals with lived experience of mental health issues and accompanying social recovery are employed within formalised peer support roles that use an individual’s lived experience of mental distress to support others. Within this emerging area of mental health practice little is known about the factors enabling peer support initiatives to thrive alongside clinical care provided as part of mental health services. Using qualitative data gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with members of a community of practice to introduce peer support and framed within a constructivist Grounded Theory methodology. My thesis seeks to establish the specific social processes underlying organisational support for introducing peer workers, by examining support from the unique perspective of staff involved in introducing Lived Experience Practitioners into a NHS Trust.
I gained my undergraduate degree in Sociology with Social Policy (2:1) at the University of Warwick in 2006. Thereafter I worked in various roles with children, young people, and families. Whilst working for Sure Start Children’s Centres I completed my MA in Early Years (Distinction) at Canterbury Christ Church University in 2013. I recently completed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project with Oxleas NHS and Canterbury Christ Church University to introduce mental health peer support into adult mental health services.
My research interests include the increasing use of lay knowledge and individuals’ lived experience in designing and producing services they use.
My PhD is funded by Staff Development at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Alongside my PhD studies I am a Research Assistant in the School of Nursing.
Research outputs
Publications
Bainbridge, A. and Stirrup, V. (2016) Narratives beyond the backyard: A case study on support for a community sustainability project. In Formenti, L. and West, L. (Eds), Stories that make a difference. Exploring the collective, social and political potential of narratives in adult education research. Lecce: Pensa.
Conference Presentations
‘Participant not Patient’- employing a person-centred approach to researching the use of lived experience in mental health peer support. (2015). Paper presented at the Postgraduate Research Association Annual Conference, Canterbury Christ Church University.
‘Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Lived Experience Practitioner training scheme: Co-producing peer support training’. (2015) Poster presented at the ImROC Annual Conference, University of Nottingham.
‘Co-producing mental health peer support in Oxleas HNS Foundation Trust’. (2014). Poster presented at the Knowledge Transfer Partnership Annual Conference. University of Brighton.
Awards and Prizes
- Canterbury Christ Church University Faculty of Health and Wellbeing Research and Knowledge Exchange Award- PhD Support.
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust ‘Invest to Save’ bid (2015).
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership Annual Conference 2014, Poster presentation award: 3rd place.