Let's all play 'Stigma'! Learning together using forum theatre in collaboration with mental health service users and nurse lecturers

• Main Author: Wilson, James J. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013-08.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 This paper shares the experiences of a group of University lecturers and mental health service users who collaborated in the use of an experiential theatrical technique, forum theatre. The aim of the project was to jointly develop a forum theatre that would be performed to all fields of student nurses in their second year within a classroom setting. The was achieved through a session that employed a theatrical technique to bring staff and service users in order to 1) stimulate student analysis around the complexities of communication and 2) raise awareness about the damaging effects of stigma in mental health. Findings showed that service user/carer involvement issues can be presented using interactive theatre techniques. The method facilitated innovative and educationally stimulating engagement between the students and the service users' personal narratives without losing the impact of the experiences being articulated; this process also brought about a collaborative service user-lecturer initiative.