I'm preparing this week to speak at the British Psychological Society Community Psychology Festival 2018 (Twitter @BPSCommPsy) on Sunday 23rd September.
It will be a personal story of experiencing mental health breakdown and recovery as a clinical psychologist.
It will be about experiencing isolation, shame and stigma in the profession, propelling me to reach out for connection and forming a network called in2gr8mentalhealth (Twitter @In2gr8mh).
Personal experience and professional knowledge came together to help me see that somehow, what we know about why human beings can experience psychological distress, had become separated off, or
denied, to a person in a professional role. Something seemed to have gone very wrong, as if we could not allow in2gr8tion of certain parts of ourselves within the profession.
It seemed as if we had forgotten about our own selves.
In2gr8mentalhealth is representative and symbolic of a 'community within'. I hope to be thought provoking.
It's a real priviledge to be heard. Thank you.
Dr Natalie Kemp