‘They don't really know why they're here’ mental health professionals' perspectives of consumer representatives

There are several barriers to meaningful, non-tokenistic consumer representation in mental health, including stigma and negative attitudes towards consumers. The aim of this study was to examine mental health professionals' perspectives about collaborating with consumer representatives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 mental health professionals across Australia. Informed by the social identity framework, the findings are discussed in relation to the themes of (1) the need for greater clarity about the roles of consumer representatives, (2) perceptions about whether consumer representatives are held to equal professional standards, (3) understandings of consumers' place in organizational hierarchies, (4) facilitating more meaningful collaboration between consumer representatives and non-consumer health professionals and (5) the blurring of these identities when mental health professionals have lived experience. Findings suggest that the social identities of mental health consumer representatives (along with their organizational roles) are often unclear and need development within healthcare organizations. Leaders can provide guidance on group boundaries to enable effective collaboration. The implications for healthcare organizations and policy include the provision of clear frameworks for collaborative mental healthcare and clear roles, terminology and responsibilities for mental health consumer representatives.