The Lived Experience Practitioner service provides peer support and practical assistance to help people regain control of their lives and support them to achieve a better quality of life despite their mental health difficulties.
The Lived Experience Practitioners are employed by four mental health charities in partnership with SABP NHS Trust to work within primary mental health care teams across Surrey and north-east Hampshire.
A Lived Experience Practitioner is someone who has been on their own recovery journey and has personal experience of mental health difficulties or has cared for loved ones experiencing mental health difficulties. They can offer direct support to people accessing mental health services, as well as helping them to access other local services.
Findings of a Your Views Matter survey of the service in its first year demonstrate that people report that having a Lived Experience Practitioner involved in their care helps them feel understood, cared for, comfortable, and safe.
