08 Oct WMHD: Lived experiences heard – real voices, real change
This World Mental Health Day, we celebrate the power of lived experience in mental health support. The theme, ‘Lived experiences heard’, highlights the importance of listening to those with personal experience and ensuring their voices help shape the support available.
Nearly one in seven people worldwide were living with a mental disorder in 2023, according to the World Health Organization.
At Oakleaf, lived experience is at the heart of our approach to mental health support. Through our new Peer Support Programme, people who have benefited from lived experience support can now use their own experiences to help others. Our peer supporters, Steven, Emz and Marc, are all part of this programme, sharing their stories and demonstrating the positive impact of peer support.
The power of peer support: Turning lived experience into lasting impact
At Oakleaf, we believe one of the most powerful things someone can say is “I understand” – because they have lived it.
Our Peer Support Programme enables people with their own mental health experiences to train as volunteers and support others. For the first time at Oakleaf, people can be both clients and volunteers, using their lived experience to offer understanding, hope and encouragement.
With training and guidance, peer supporters learn to listen without judgement and help others work towards their own recovery goals. Support is available through one-to-one conversations, peer-led groups, drop-ins and community activities, including our walking club.
To date, the programme has delivered 31 hours of peer support across 34 individual sessions and interactions. Topics include mental health, friendships, community, employment, volunteering, housing, finances, identity and self-esteem. The group’s first monthly theme was neurodivergence.
The programme also provides volunteers with valuable training, professional development and opportunities for personal growth, recognising the power of using their experiences to help others.
We spoke to three of our peer supporters, Steven, Emz and Marc, about their journeys, the importance of lived experience and how they are now helping others.
Steven’s story: Turning life experiences into positive change
For Steven, lived experience means using his own journey through challenges such as alcohol abuse, gambling and mental ill-health to help others facing similar difficulties.
As a Peer Support Worker at Oakleaf, Steven draws on his experiences to connect with clients, offer understanding and help them navigate their own challenges.
Seeing the positive impact of these interactions, whether a brief conversation or longer-term support, is incredibly rewarding. Steven believes more lived experience workers are needed across mental health services, as their personal understanding can help people feel heard, understood and less alone.
He hopes that sharing his experiences can also help others avoid some of the difficulties he has faced, particularly when it comes to accessing mental health support.
Emz’s story: The power of feeling understood
For Emz, lived experience was first a source of support in their own recovery. Having struggled with mental ill-health, they found that speaking to people who had faced similar challenges helped them feel believed and less alone.
This experience inspired them to become a Peer Supporter at Oakleaf, where they now use their own journey to support others. Having lived through experiences including sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, chronic ill-health, isolation and neurodivergence, Emz understands how difficult it can be to open up about personal struggles.
They believe sharing these experiences can help others feel safe enough to express themselves, while offering hope that recovery is possible and that everyone has a future.
Emz is particularly passionate about the importance of lived experience in mental health services, believing that people who have navigated similar challenges can offer a unique perspective, complementing professional support and helping others see what is possible.
Marc’s story: Lived experience in action
For Marc, lived experience comes from facing his own mental health challenges, reaching out for help and discovering how valuable the right support can be. His own experiences have given him the confidence to now support others.
As part of Oakleaf’s Peer Support Programme, Marc has helped run advice and guidance groups, as well as a neurodiversity group. These opportunities have allowed him to support other Oakleaf clients and share his understanding.
Marc believes lived experience can create a unique connection, as people who have faced similar challenges can understand what others may be going through. He hopes it will continue to play a bigger role in mental health support, giving people the chance to speak to someone who truly understands.
Branching Out: Taking support into Surrey’s communities
Branching Out is Oakleaf’s new Surrey-wide outreach programme, delivered in partnership with Catalyst Support and Hope Hub, and funded by the Community Foundation for Surrey.
The service offers up to 24 weeks of one-to-one, trauma-informed support for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, across all 21 priority neighbourhoods in Surrey.
By meeting people in their own communities, Branching Out provides early intervention and support for those in crisis. It is open to adults aged 18+ experiencing two or more areas of disadvantage, including homelessness, substance use, mental health difficulties, criminal justice involvement or domestic or sexual abuse.
See our Branching Out leaflet here.
Steven, Emz and Marc’s stories demonstrate how the right support can empower people to turn their own experiences into a source of strength for others.
At Oakleaf, we are proud to champion lived experience, creating opportunities for people to feel heard, build confidence and make a meaningful difference in their communities.
Find out more about Oakleaf’s services and support: www.oakleaf-enterprise.org/get-support
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