Staff views on wellbeing for themselves and for service users

Background: Wellbeing is an important outcome in the context of recovery from mental illness. The views of mental health professionals on wellbeing may influence their approach to supporting recovery.

Aims: This study aims to explore views held by mental health staff about factors influencing their own wellbeing and that of service users with psychosis.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 mental health staff in South London who had worked with people with psychosis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and comparisons were made between staff views of wellbeing for themselves and service users.

Results: Staff participants held similar conceptualisations of wellbeing for themselves and for service users. However, they suggested a differential impact on wellbeing for a number of factors, such as balance, goals and achievement, and work. Staff employed a more deficit-based perspective on wellbeing for service users and a more strengths-based view for themselves.

Conclusions: Staff stated a recovery orientation in principle, but struggled to focus on service user strengths in practice. A stronger emphasis in clinical practice on amplifying strengths to foster self-management is indicated, and staff may need support to achieve this emphasis, e.g. through specific interventions and involvement of peer support workers.