Involving service users in training in the management of aggression

Involving service users in the education of current & future mental health practitioners is seen as important. It provides the opportunity for developing greater awareness and understanding through the unique insights of people’s lived experience of mental health conditions and of their contact with mental health services. The growing understanding of the contribution this makes to the improvement of services and in developing the mental health practitioners of the future fuels the increase in its practice. In particular, the pre-registration training of mental health professionals such as: social workers, nurses and psychologists.
This workshop describes the involvement of service user trainers in the development and delivery of a short training course on physical restraint for mental health practitioners. It considers the impact of including service users who themselves have experience of being restrained in acute mental health settings, from the perspective of course participants, tutors and the service user trainers themselves.
A key element of this involvement is the creation of a forum where service users’ contributions are intently listened to and valued by practitioners. Both parties put heads together to critically analyse the good and bad experiences of restraint practices and, the lessons learnt are powerful as evidenced in course participants’ feedback:
“Service user involvement makes it real. I appreciate this very much”.
“Service user involvement is very relevant and thought provoking – a good way to see how our work affects/impacts patients”
In sharing this experience, it is hoped that the physical restraint trainers who are considering involving service users would feel reassured, and that those yet to do so would be encouraged to try.