Stigma Free Lanarkshire - Recovery Stories Project

Since its launch last November, Stigma Free Lanarkshire (SFL) has been growing in strength and garnering support from the local community in its quest to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination.  It is no small task to challenge such negatively entrenched attitudes in relation to mental health, but the positive changes our society is now witnessing bode well for the future and inspire us to continue working towards a healthier, happier community.

To this end SFL has received funding from The Robertson Trust to deliver a recovery stories project that will give people with lived experience of mental health issues and their carers the opportunity to share their personal narrative and bolster the SFL programme.  It is understood that individual stories of recovery can not only enhance the storyteller’s healing process and convey the reality of recovery but can also contribute to tackling stigma and discrimination. 

Our approach to gathering stories is broad inasmuch as we want to recruit the breadth of creativity out there in the community.  Whether the storyteller wishes to use the written word, film, photography, poetry, fiction, pottery (whatever the medium), we want to offer people the chance to tell their story in a way that reflects their uniqueness. 

The aim in the coming year is to work with up to five people with experience of mental health issues and up to three carers of someone with mental health issues.  The storyteller will sit at the centre of the entire process and we will offer time and compassion to ensure that they feel comfortable and confident throughout.

Sharing your story can be expressive and cathartic; it can be painful, even triggering.  Timing is everything and the right time to share your story is when you are ready.  

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