Workshops on best practice models for PLE participation in Europe
The workshops will provide an overview of current approaches to People with Lived Experience (PLE)-participation in mental health care, involving experts from the field.
There will be an opportunity to discuss the approaches, to reflect on the situation in your country and to identify further learning and action needs. According to your interests and needs, we will plan additional national or international workshops in the future to delve deeper into the topic.
Below you will find detailed descriptions of the individual workshops. The workshops are intended for the MENTOR network, people with lived experiences, relatives and professionals in policy and health care. It is not necessary to be part of the mentor network or to have previous experience.
The workshops will be held in English. Before the workshops we will send you the material. We will record the workshops and provide you with the video afterwards. Thus you will have the chance to watch the workshops with subtitles in your language.
Workshop 1: Forms of Participation of People with lived Experience
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Date: 4.6.2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The workshop will provide an overview of different forms of participation for PLE. The focus is on the areas of participation. The workshop is intended to reflect on the respective national or regional situation and to develop ideas for implementation.
Content
At the beginning, we will talk about the reasons for PLE’s involvement. On the ethical level we will look at approaches of participation and co-creation and about the necessity of putting the PLE in the center: „Nothing about us without us“.
The participation of PLE also has economic implications because it leads to assistance that truly helps. This means resources are utilized better. In addition, PLE participation also creates job and thus income opportunities.
At the professional level, the involvement of PLE leads to the implementation of new methods, perspectives, and theoretical and practical action concepts.
From a political perspective, the involvement of PLE is essential to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to guarantee rights-based psychiatric care.
In the second part of the workshop, we will present various research approaches that demonstrate that the involvement of PLE leads to better psychiatric care.
In the last part, we will deal with various functions and roles of PLE in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of psychiatric assistance.
Workshop 2: From Attendance to Participation to Co-Production
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Date: 10.6.2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The workshop is intended to provide an overview of different levels of participation of people with lived experience in the health care system (attendance, participation, decision-making power…).The workshop is intended to reflect on the respective national or regional situation and to develop ideas for implementation.
Content
The approach of involving PLE in planning delivery and evaluation of mental health services has a long tradition in the English speaking countries and has been spreading in Europe for about 25 years.
In this workshop we will look at different approaches of PLE participation, especially at Co-Production.
In the second part, we will discuss how much influence and decision-making power different roles of PLE are connected to in the psychiatric system.
In the end, the question will be at the center of what conditions must be met to enable participation, co-determination, or self-determination in the PLE.
Workshop 3: Peer Advocacy
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Date: 12.6.2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
In traditional psychiatric care services, it is easy for users’ concerns to be ignored or not taken seriously. Due to their situation, users can only represent their concerns to a limited extent.
Independent advocacy is one of many ways to ensure that the concerns of PLE are heard when a decision is made. This includes providing choices, educating about rights, and helping users defend those rights.
Content
In this workshop, we will talk about the basics of peer advocacy. Independent peer advocacy in mental health is based on human rights, social rights, and patient rights. The roles and tasks of peer advocates are related to giving a voice to users of the psychiatric system who have difficulty expressing their wishes and standing up for their rights.
In the second part, two PLE will discuss their experiences as Peer Advocates with you.
Workshop 4: Empowerment Colleges
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Date: 24.6.2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Recovery or empowerment colleges are a central building block for the transformation of mental health care towards more recovery orientation. Learning is an important basis for expanding one’s own scope for action. Many PLE are unable to participate in conventional educational programs due to their previous experiences or their limitations. Empowerment colleges offer a special learning environment and topics that deal directly with coping with experiences of psychiatry or emotional upheaval. The learning experience in college helps to develop more self-efficacy.
Content
This workshop focuses on the question of what function empowerment colleges have and how they can be implemented. The workshop begins with the history of the colleges. We will then look at the methodology, particularly focusing on coproduction in the development and implementation of seminars.
In the second part, we will deal with the question of how experiential learning can be facilitated. Lastly, we will focus on the evaluation of the offerings of the colleges.
Workshop 5: Training of recovery companions
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Date: 30.6.2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The work of recovery facilitators can make an important contribution to transforming traditional mental health services in terms of person-centeredness, right-based and recovery. Recovery support was first established in English-speaking countries and is now expanding throughout Europe. Recovery companions are seen as an independent professional group. Their work focuses on recovery and empowerment. This workshop will present the training, but also the professional practice of recovery companions.
Content
In the beginning we will talk about the philosophy, methodology, themes and topics of the EX-IN Training, which has been developed by five countries in the frame of the Leonardo da Vinci program form 2003 – 2005. In the second part we will discuss the areas of activity, roles, functions, influence and evidence of recovery companions in practice with a PLE and a manager.
Please register by May 20, 2025 by filling out the form below for each participant from your country. Please send the form to Jörg Utschakowski joerg.utschakowski@gesundheit.bremen.de and Michele Rocelli michele.rocelli@unipd.it