A Critical Look at Participation of Persons with Mental Health Problems in Training Mental Health Professionals within University Education

Abstract

Involvement of persons with mental health disorders, with or without addictions (persons with MHA), within mental health education is becoming more common in some parts of the western world, in particular, the United Kingdom. What does involving persons with MHA entail and what are the benefits and challenges in involving these individuals in education? In this paper, we take a critical look at involvement of persons with MHA within the literature and provide a case study of a Canadian inter-professional mental health and addictions course where persons with MHA were included in some aspects of teaching. We present the evaluation of the course, and offer implications for involvement of persons with MHA in university courses.