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Description
The specific nature of a mental health disorder entails possible social exclusion. The European practice of hiring people with mental health disorders in therapeutic teams is also being adopted in Poland. Since April 2020, mental health clinics have had an obligation to hire recovery assistants (a person with a mental health disorder who has qualified and works as an equal with other professionals with other people with mental health disorders). The Ministry of Health is now finalising work on professional classification of this new profession. At the same time, there are very few training courses for this profession in Poland. We have now conducted a course of this kind twice free of charge, and there is huge interest.This project addresses the need to train recovery assistants and make people with mental health disorders less vulnerable.We will conduct two recovery assistant training courses (weekend conferences), each of eleven modules of twenty hours on communication (two conferences), learning about illness, appearance during illness and stigma issues, recovery, self-advocacy, collaboration (two conferences) and ethics. We can offer those interested an internship in one of the centres run by our Partner: Senior Citizen Centre, Occupational Therapy Workshops, Community Self-help Centre or Support Centre.Thirty people with mental health disorders from all over Poland will participate in the activities.They will enhance their knowledge of self-advocacy and learn soft skills necessary to work as a recovery assistant, and will be ready to begin working in this capacity.The Partner - ALF based in Bergen - will share, on study visits, know-how gained in a similar project, and assess the activities performed in Poland.The other Partner - The Association for the Development of Community Psychiatry and Care will be involved in conducting the course, provide premises, and provide opportunities for internships at its centres.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the need to educate recovery assistants and prevent social exclusion of people with mental illnesses. In Poland, the number of patients with schizophrenia is estimated at around 400 000. Together with other mental disorders (i.e. depression, neuroses, mood disorders), in 2006, approximately 4% of the population - 1.5 million people - received assistance (CBOS). The specific nature of mental illness is associated with the risk of social exclusion. In Poland, only 2% of people with mental illness are in full-time employment. Meanwhile, since April 2020 Mental Health Centres have been obliged to employ recovery assistants (people with mental illness who, after gaining qualification, work with other people with mental illness). Unfortunately, the offer of courses preparing for this profession is very modest in Poland.
As part of the project, 29 persons with mental illnesses were prepared for the profession of recovery assistants. There were 2 editions of the course and each edition contained 11 20-hour modules on communication, knowledge about the illnesses, insight into the illness and stigma issues, recovery, self-advocacy, cooperation and ethical issues. The course was attended by 29 people with mental illnesses from all over Poland. The Norwegian partner, ALF from Bergen, shared its experience of implementing a similar activity during study visits.
As a result of the project, the knowledge of people with mental illnesses in the field of self-advocacy has increased, as well as the soft skills necessary to work as a recovery assistant, making them ready for such work. Participants in both editions have increased their knowledge of ethical issues related to the profession, have more insight into their illnesses, and are able to use their own medical history to help others in a similar situation.
Summary of bilateral results
5 people from the ALF organisation from Bergen flew to Krakow for a study visit. They familiarised themselves with our Association the newly developing role of the Healing Assistant in Poland, which was inspired, by the way, by previous contacts with the ALF organisation and theirNew Mate project. They also learnt about our system of community psychiatry and our centres, and participated in the Forum for Community Psychiatry in Krakow.In turn, five of us participated in a study visit to Bergen in February 2023. They familiarised themselves with centres operating at our partner''s site, and were also introduced to their projects and programmes. Among other things, they visited a professional activation centre and a hotel where people with mental illnesses are employed.Above all, the exchange of study visits resulted in a transfer of knowledge. It was our Norwegian partner ALF who inspired us a few years ago during another study visit to develop the Health Assistant. In their case, the project is called New Colleague, and thanks to the inspiration of a few years ago (also realised through EEA), we started thinking about a similar project in our country, and it has been successfully implemented. During the Norwegians'' current visit to us, they asked how the process of training and employing Health Assistants was going in our country and gave us valuable tips for running the course. In addition, they gave us new ideas, telling us about new forms of professional activation for excluded people in Norway. Our co-operation continues through email correspondence. As we are also researching the emergence of the health assistant profession, we are writing articles on the subject, conducting initial research and exchanging scientific articles available on the subject in Norway and the knowledge that our partner has. In the future, we hope to publish a joint paper on Polish-Norwegian experiences with the Health Assistant.