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Background: Stress, and particularly burnout, is a major problem among healthcare workers and can lead to high staff turnover and low patient/client satisfaction. Objective: To explore the impact of 3-day compassion-focused therapy training on those delivering education to healthcare students. The underpinning premise was that the training course could potentially be replicated through the participants' work with students embarking on a career within the helping professions. Design: Mixed-methods study, with the qualitative findings being presented in this paper. Setting: Training course was delivered in one higher education institution in England. Methods: In total, 44 healthcare lecturers attended the course, with 6 taking part in a reflective focus group. Findings: The analysis highlighted four main themes--reassurance and increased knowledge, increased compassion towards others, self-compassion and empathy, and blocks to compassion. Conclusion: Findings add to previous quantitative research findings showing that participants who undertook training were able to engage with their compassionate self and consider the importance of showing compassion towards the self and others in healthcare education.

Mental health nurses (MHNs) play an important role in dealing with those receiving psychiatric care for self‐harming behaviour. How nurses perceive this group of people is pivotal to timely prevention of such harmful behaviour. This project aimed to assess MHNs perception of self‐harming behaviour among those receiving psychiatric care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Descriptive research was conducted with 400 nurses at governmental hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) in the KSA. Data were collected using an online survey and questionnaire: the survey was divided into two sections: one concerned with demographic characteristics of the participants, the second section focusing on their workplace characteristics. The Self‐Harm Antipathy Scale‐Swedish Revision (SHAS‐SR) was used to assess perceptions of self‐harm among MHNs. This scale included 19 items categorized into five subscales. Finding showed that more than half of nurses had a low perception of those who self‐harmed. Additionally, there was a highly significant association between the nurses' total self‐harm perception scores and their workplace characteristics. Promoting person‐centred care to those who self‐harm through the creation of a collaborative nurse–patient relationship, may improve insight and understanding of the behaviour. Continuous professional development for staff who provide care for those who self‐harm would promote better understanding of the behaviour. In addition, workshops, presentations and modelling good practice, are all key for transferring information into real‐world applications for MHNs to provide better care for those who self‐harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores experiences of pastoral staff, working in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) special secondary schools, regarding the psychological impact of their work. To date, attention has been given to the educational experiences of pupils attending SEMH schools and teachers working with pupils with SEMH needs in mainstream schools. Whilst these studies provide insight into the experiences of pupils and teachers, they do not explore the experiences of those occupying pastoral roles in SEMH schools. Using narrative research, five participants, recruited from schools in the Northwest of England, took part in interviews, conducted via video conferencing. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis adopted a two-stage approach. The first stage focused on each individual narrative, preserving it as a whole story, the second involved analysis across the five narratives. Both stages used Fraser’s (2004) seven stage approach, enabling long sections of narrative to be broken down into themes, whilst preserving the nuances within and across narratives. The first stage of analysis identified numerous themes specific to each participant, the second stage, the focus for this paper, identified two common themes across the narratives: ‘It’s a struggle,’ ‘and ‘My emotionally dirty work’. This is the first study to explore the psychological impact of working in SEMH secondary schools, from the perspective of pastoral staff. Findings have policy and practice implications; defining professional standards, appropriate training, and tailored supervision. An ‘ethos of care’ within SEMH schools could mitigate against the impact of struggles and work perceived as emotionally dirty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, an increasing number of people who Self‐Harm (SH) are being treated in mental health hospitals. Incidences of SH are common in secure hospitals, with those using the behaviour being highly dependent on staff for care and support but impacting on often limited resources. While literature related to the lived experiences of people who SH exists, this is in its infancy in African countries. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of people who SH in two secure mental health hospitals in Ghana. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore the experiences of people who SH in two secure mental hospitals in Ghana. A convenience sample of nine participants were recruited and face‐to‐face in‐depth semi structured interviews were used to collect data. With the permission of each participant, all interviews were audio recorded and notes were made by the researcher (first author). Each interview was transcribed and analysed using the IPA seven‐step approach, with three superordinate and 11 subordinate themes being identified. The superordinate themes were: Being let down; Living with the negative self; Forces of the supernatural and religion. Findings demonstrate that there is a need to develop a collaborative health care package if appropriate care and support is to be offered to people in secure settings who use high‐risk behaviours, such as SH. To ensure care is holistic, culturally, and temporally relevant research is needed, particularly in Sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is an issue of epidemic proportions in the United Kingdom (UK) and an international public health problem. Evidence suggests that in the UK one in 20 children have been sexually abused, with one in three not telling anyone about it at the time of the abuse. Conservative estimates suggest that around one in six men have experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18. CSA has been correlated with the development of numerous mental health problems, abused men often displaying externalizing behaviours, including substance misuse, 'risky' sexual behaviours, anti‐social behaviour, and offending. This article reports on one aspect of a research study focusing specifically on male survivors of CSA and its effect on their mental health. Using narrative research, face‐to‐face interviews were used to collect the stories of four men who participated in the research. Interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis used a two‐phase approach; initially, each narrative was analysed as a whole, with an across transcripts analysis then being carried out identifying shared themes emerging from the individual stories. Whilst findings from the second phase of the analysis identify four themes, it is the theme of 'Blocking the Memories' that is the focus for this article. Making a valuable contribution to existent knowledge regarding the experiences of men who were sexually abused as children, this article will help to inform mental health practitioners who are likely to deliver care to male survivors of CSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global estimates suggest 5% to 10% of men report experience of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). However, male CSA is significantly underreported, with men being reluctant to disclose due to vulnerability, stigmatisation, homophobic responses and fearing a loss of masculinity. A lack of research and service provision targeted towards men suggests male survivors of CSA are marginalised. This qualitative study, using a narrative approach, focussed on four adult male survivors of CSA. The aim of the study was to explore their experiences of engaging in counselling and support services for CSA from nonstatutory and voluntary organisations. Face‐to‐face narrative interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis was undertaken using a two‐phase approach; first, each narrative was analysed as a whole; second, an across‐transcripts analysis was carried out to identify shared themes and divergences that emerged from the individual stories. In this paper, findings from the second phase of the analysis are presented. Three themes regarding male survivors' experiences of specialist counselling services were identified: "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor," "Trust me, I'm a Counsellor" and "Counsellor or Mother?" This is the first academic study focussing specifically on men's experience of support for CSA in the UK from a service user perspective. Making an original contribution to the knowledge base regarding counselling experiences and the effectiveness of therapy for male CSA survivors, it will help to inform professional counselling services which are likely to come into contact with male survivors of CSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]