What the Mental Health Sector Can Learn from Young People
Shona Clarke, The Werry Centre
Despite public perceptions of youth, we can learn a lot from young people and the way they think. Mental health services and the broader sector aren’t exempt, as youth perspectives can bring a lot to ensuring good services are delivered in a timely manner, when they’re needed and that a “problem” is just that and not a lifelong “illness”. While I don’t think I count as a young person any more, I still like to think of mental health and illness from a youth perspective. Because I think getting it right with young people has implications for adults and everyone in between, this keynote address is going to draw on what young people can teach and bring stories to demonstrate this. So, don’t even go there with that deficit-focussed thinking and open your mind to what young people can bring!