Abstract
Occupational therapists working in mental health are increasingly using adult education as a resource. This paper explores the experience of attending an adult education course from the perspective of the mental health service user. Twelve service users were recruited from the Education Link Team. A qualitative design using a semi-structured interview was chosen to explore the benefits, barriers, drawbacks, enabling factors and impact on mental health for individuals who attend college.
The results indicated that attending college improved confidence, self-esteem, socialisation and motivation. The service users gained knowledge and skills, had an increased purpose to the day and experienced improvements in depression, anxiety and psychosis. The fact that the course was discrete and the support of the health staff enabled the service users to attend college. The biggest barrier was difficulty in getting to the college. The drawbacks included difficult relations with others, work issues and anxiety. Areas for future study are given.
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