Publish date: 18 January 2024
A peer support worker with lived experience is helping service users to take part in Trust research.
Sarah Labovitch was once an attendee of the Wellbeing and Recovery College, where she took part in its LATER course, learning about thinking, emotions and relationships.
The course played an important part in her recovery after what she described as a 'few tough years'.
After completing the course, Sarah became a peer support worker and dived head first into every research project available and has been the service-user lead for research and development for the last six months, aiming to help service users get involved with research projects.
Sarah is currently supporting the expansion of the Lived Experience Research Network with Dr Stephen Orleans-Foli.
"We meet monthly, and currently have approximately 10 service users and lived-experience practitioners. These meetings are open to all service users (either current or former) who want to become involved in research at the Trust.
“As part of the network, your involvement can range from the peer review of studies within the Trust, to conducting research in your own right or co-produced with others.
She added: "Current research projects in which I’m involved include improving recognition of autism in personality disorder; a study on pregnancy and autism; and a paper on the link between urban living and psychosis.
“I’ve also linked up with other lived-experience researchers nationally to become a Patient Research Ambassador in NHS Mental Health Research, am a member of the Trust’s Peer Review Group and I co-edit a Trust newsletter.
“I am also a co-facilitator of the ‘Knowledge and Understanding Framework’ training, which is training for multi-agency staff who work with people who may meet criteria for personality disorder."
Interested in joining the Lived Experience Research Network?
The next meeting is on Thursday 25th January 2024 at 3.30 PM by Microsoft Teams link.
If you're a service user and interested in taking part in research, email – sarah.labovitch@westlondon.nhs.uk.
You can find out more about research at West London NHS Trust here: www.westlondon.nhs.uk/research.
