Stephanie McKinley

“I am passionate about challenging stigma and discrimination about mental ill health and have spent the last 10 years working in this field. So, becoming part of the Time to Change campaign fits well with my own personal values as well as my current work role .

I am a service user trainer by background and have lead on the development of service user involvement in training in my local trust in South London.  I have designed training courses for trainer called Changing Minds which gives people with lived experience the skills and confidence to deliver anti-stigma and mental health awareness training.  The course is currently delivered as a part of the Well London project across 20 London boroughs.

I work in a mental health promotion team where I help my colleagues develop better ways to involve and support people with lived experience in an appropriate and meaningful way. I also help them challenge their own internalised stigma regarding people with lived experience of mental health capabilities.  I also manage a team of lived experience trainers and have been involved in setting up and leading a service user involvement training department that supports the development of a ‘pool’ of lived experience trainers.

I have presented at conferences, contributed to educational guides, produced videos, sat on steering groups and I am currently writing a chapter for an academic textbook about the impact of service user involvement on health and wellbeing designed to be used with social workers and newly qualified nurses.
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As a LEAP advisor I am thrilled to be part of a team that is focussed on working together to change public attitudes and perception regarding mental illness.  I look forward to making a difference to other people and groups out there who don’ t currently have a voice and need to be listened to by a national campaign such as Time to Change.