Posted on: 12 November 2020
CNWL’s Melanie Ball has written an illuminating chapter in a new book, “Working Effectively with Personality Disorder”.
Her subject is, “Service User Involvement and Co-production in Personality Disorder Services: An Invitation to Transcend Re-traumatising Power Politics”.
She writes powerfully and provocatively – sometimes not unlike ‘liberation theory’ but persuasively about the tensions as well as the need. In particular she writes about boundaries around Peer Workers and Peer Working – including preparing the receiving team.
But she also invites people to reflect on how the theoretical and philosophical framework of the service fits, or might be antagonistic to, the role and place of peer workers in the clinical team.
Mel mentions good practice examples – what she usefully calls ‘good enough’ - from a number of areas and including West London NHS Trust as well as CNWL’s work .
Mel ends by saying she hopes her chapter refreshes the resolve to review the skill mix of these services.
Mel is CNWL’s Trustwide Lived Experience Practice and Peer Support Lead, she also teaches at Canterbury Christ Church University, Abertay University and is a Teaching Fellow at London Southbank University.