Students Learn Through Lived Experience in Immersive Mental Health Workshop
Students from across health disciplines come together through storytelling and performance to explore compassionate, person-centred mental health care
Lived experience and interprofessional learning returned to MDHS last week, with more than 50 students and staff from disciplines including Medicine, Nursing, Speech Pathology and Clinical Psychology participating in the Listening to Voices workshop.
The immersive workshop uses performance and personal storytelling to support students to better understand the realities of mental health experiences and the importance of compassionate, person-centred care. Through shared lived experience narratives, students explored themes including trauma, stigma, family violence, bullying, substance use and mental health, while reflecting on the role of empathy and collaboration in healthcare practice.
Students then worked in interprofessional groups to discuss the experience and consider how future health professionals can contribute to more compassionate and inclusive mental health systems.
The workshop forms part of a Department of Health initiative supporting mental health reform in Victoria and is now in its second year of delivery for MDHS students. The activity continues to highlight the value of lived experience-led education in shaping the future health workforce and creating opportunities for students from different professions to learn with, from and about one another.
Student feedback reflected the strong impact of the experience:
"It’s real. It’s not theoretical, you don’t have to try and imagine, you get to see the world from another perspective. No lecture or lived experience lecture can compare. Very moving.” – Nursing student
"I would love to be able to bring this kind of experience to more of my cohort – somehow if we can fit this experience into our curriculum?” – Physiotherapy student
"Very powerful and impactful, will definitely remember the experience and learning moments more than an online lecture.” – Medical student
"It was very engaging and thought provoking. I think learning about it through this medium is best. I would encourage this workshop to be implemented more, and should be more readily accessible for future clinicians.” – Speech Pathology student
"I thought this experience was amazing and highly invaluable especially for those not directly trained in mental illness.” – Clinical Psychology student
The ongoing success of the workshop reinforces the importance of embedding lived experience perspectives and interprofessional learning opportunities within health professions education.