'Changing people's hearts' : The lived expertise perspective of communicating with nursing students at a mental health clinical placement

Escalating rates of mental illness emphasise the necessity for sufficient and appropriate mental health services. However, stigma and discrimination remain and can be seen through the multifaceted ways nurses communicate. Clinical placements, where nursing students engage directly with individuals experiencing mental illness, are vital for addressing these challenges by fostering empathy and reducing stigma. This study aimed to explore how individuals with lived experience of mental illness experience the communication of nursing students during their participation in the mental health nursing clinical placement, Recovery Camp. Using a Heideggerian phenomenological approach, five individuals with lived experience of mental illness, referred to as Experts by Experience, participated in individual semi-structured interviews. van Kaam's psychophenomenological approach was used for data analysis. The findings highlight the importance of being Valued for My Lived Experience Expertise, which emerged as a central theme. The two primary themes were Communication and Engagement. Communication entailed students demonstrating Active Listening and Attributes and Engagement was seen through Actions and Behaviours and Rapport. The findings support the growing body of evidence highlighting the substantial impact of Experts by Experience on mental health nursing education. Integrating Experts by Experience into mental health nursing education enhances communication skills by improving students' understanding of mental illness directly from those who experience it. These changes are essential for advancing nursing education and improving mental health services.

© 2025 The Author(s). International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

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