A National Strategy for Lived-Experience in Mental Health Research

We are pleased to share that the journey toward A National Strategy for Lived-Experience in Mental Health Research to address capabilities needs, career pathways, conditions in research organisations and identify lived-experience approaches and practices for research integration has begun.

The strategy development stages and steps following input from our Lived-Experience Research Collective members at their gathering are as follows:

Mapping landscape (Jul 2023 – Jan 2024)
- Review of published literature on lived-experience in mental health research (processes, practices and principles)
- Review of policies at national level relevant to supporting growth and development of lived-experience in mental health research
- The Long Conversation Flagship – the who, what, when and how of lived-experience researchers nationally (survey and creative outputs)
Public Co-Design (Feb 2024 – May 2024)
- Typology sharing and expansion of the principles, processes, practices for lived-experience in mental health research
- Public Co-Design with lived-experience researchers for shaping typology and expansions
- Findings from TLC survey inform co-design and typology development
Strategy Development (May 2024 – Sep 2024)
- Engagement with organisations and people working with lived-experience researchers using a variety of methods (exploring the challenges, barriers and enablers to fostering lived-experience research workforce) across research settings.
- What is the state of play nationally for support of lived-experience researchers in universities/research institutes and centres and in organisations engaged in research? Where are the gaps, what are the barriers and what capabilities development is needed at the macro (policy), meso (organisational) and micro (community/individual) levels?
Draft to Final Strategy Release (Nov 2024)
- Draft strategic framework for community consultation
- Updated framework
- Refinement of strategy and implementation guide
- Final strategy released for implementation.

— ALIVE Forum

The forum offers a place for dialogue and exchange for lived-experience researchers engaged in mental health research.

Membership includes lived-experience researchers in community organisations or governments working on mental health research projects and people with lived-experience who may partner with researchers for co-design or co-production research so that they connect with others.

It’s a supportive forum to share experiences, grow networks, and to talk about skills and training needs that people might benefit from, including building lived-expertise as an evidence base.

The ALIVE Lived-Experience Research Collective Forum is a supportive, safe and anonymous space.

We ask you to read the following before posting to the forum:

Getting started

Share ideas, talk about skills that work for lived-experience researchers and participate in research focused conversations within posts and threads.

Our principles for participation

Here are our principles for participation for the ALIVE Lived-Experience Research Collective Forum. This space is created for everyone to feel welcome and safe in their interactions. If you notice that the principles of participation are not being put into practice, please get in touch with us.

Forum FAQs

Here are the principles of participation for the ALIVE Lived-Experience Research Collective – these have been co-created by and for mental health researchers with lived-experience to support safety in online dialogue, cooperative practices and shared agreements. Please get in touch with us at info@alivenetwork.com.au for more information or if see any concerning language or practices you need to discuss.