We are using participatory action research to re-imagine women’s mental health.
This project explores women’s experiences of involuntary mental health treatment in NSW, Australia. The research uses a participatory action research framework that centres the first-person accounts of women who have experienced involuntary mental health treatment.
The project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and impacts of involuntary mental health treatment on women. The research also aims to generate new knowledge about women’s experiences of distress and what is needed during times of crisis and suffering, in order to develop improved understandings, responses, and social justice for women.
Through processes of creativity and dialogue, the project aims to contribute towards the development of hopeful and effective responses to women’s experiences of distress.
The project team includes researchers who have personal experiences of involuntary treatment, whose experiential expertise is adding depth and richness to the research findings.
This research is funded by the Australian Research Council (DE210100391). The research team is based in Social Work and Policy Studies at the University of Sydney. Website art by Good Point Design.
We acknowledge that this research takes place on the unceded lands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and pay our respect to their Elders past, present, and emerging.