I can't stress enough the importance of Jonny Lovell's research on sharing lived experience in mental health settings. It's been something difficult to talk about for fear of professional code backlash about what of the self is 'allowed' to be discussed by professionals.
Dr Lovell's research has gone about the question by asking a group of healthcare workers (including therapists) and service users, what their thoughts on the sharing various different types of personal information might be.
Below is the link to a clear to read final report on the methodology and findings, written with brevity.
What stands out, is that sharing is not forbidden by any professional body (a possible myth debunk there for some), that the focus of any sharing should be for the therapee's benefit only (could be best discussed in supervision if unsure), and that, as we know, sharing is a choice and not something mandated - some professionals will choose not to share, and some service users would not like sharing to happen.
It is the beginning of unpicking the question "what could we share in the therapy room and why?", the theme of many questions I get, and an inevitable curiosity as we open up and speak of lived experience in the mental health professions to destigmatise and show common humanity.
Of further note is the good #coproduction research methodology!
Dr Jonny Lovell can be found on twitter @JonnyLovell1 with further contact information available on his research website via the link above.
Dr Natalie Kemp