Why Honest, Open, Proud? – more information and booking here.
Research shows those who have shared aspects of their mental health or addiction challenges report a sense of personal empowerment and an increase in confidence. HOP is a small group, conversation style, workshop run by pairs of trained leaders with their own lived experiences, aiming to reduce the self-stigma associated with mental health and addiction challenges.
The workshop provides a supported safe space, free of judgment, where peers can explore aspects of disclosure relevant to their lives and decide if they wish to share these further in their personal lives beyond. Past topics discussed as part of a ‘personal risk-assessment to disclosure’ include examples such as; how to explain past behaviour to younger family members, deciding whether to take up visible peer-leadership roles, deciding when to disclose with a new partner.
Over one evening and a full day three core areas are covered:
- Considering the Pros and Cons of Disclosing:
- My identity and different versions of self for different life ‘roles’
- Weighing the costs and benefits of disclosing.
- Different ways to Disclose:
- Testing a person for disclosure.
- How might others respond to my disclosure?
- Telling your Story:
- How to tell a personally meaningful story.
- Different audiences and coping with feedback
- Peer-support beyond the workshop.
Funders and supporters:
This course is run in partnership with The Mental Health Foundation, Scottish Recovery Network. It is funded in part from YouChoose participatory budget funding administered by tsiMORAY around creating positive outcomes (drugs and alcohol).
