[The Integration of Recovery Educators Into Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education].

Abstract

Background: Stigma negatively affects the recovery of and care quality received by people with mental illnesses as well as the mental health of the entire population. As part of global anti-stigma trends, the teaching strategy of introducing recovered patients into classroom settings as "recovery educators" has been increasingly accepted and adopted. This strategy is designed to improve student attitudes toward mental illness while promoting self-identity and sense of value in recovered patients.

Purpose: By training patients with mental illness to become recovery educators and incorporating core related concepts, this study was designed to develop an anti-stigmatizing mental health nursing education model appropriate to the Taiwanese culture context.

Methods: A community participatory research approach was used to conduct a two-stage research process covering curriculum development and curriculum implementation. The participants included clinical professionals, nursing students, educators, recovery educators, and researchers. By conducting an inductive analysis of observational notes, meeting minutes, and reflective journals, the curriculum development process and outcomes were documented.

Results: The Recovery Educator Training Camp and Anti-Stigma Curriculum Including Recovery Educators were developed based on the findings. The course development and implementation process may be summarized under the following three themes: (1) The vision, hopes, and concerns associated with community partner recruitment, (2) Viewing recovery from different perspectives and promoting health equity, and (3) Innovating and developing anti-stigmatization elements into the course.

Conclusions: A community participatory research approach was used to develop "recovery patients as educators" as an anti-stigma mental health nursing education model. By allowing recovery educators to showcase their process of recovery and nursing students to interact directly with recovery educators, the developed model successfully facilitates recognition of recovery and promotes anti-stigmatization attitudes in both recovery educators and students.