‘Equal footing, equal voice’: Recognition of self and other in Shared Reading for people with lived experience of mental distress

Over the last two decades evidence has been mounting for the effectiveness of arts interventions as public health measures. With mental health services under-resourced and overwhelmed by need, support is growing for a diversity of non-clinical approaches to support individuals in community settings. In their declaration of the organisation's collective vision, the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) emphasises the need for diverse forms of support beyond traditional biomedical services. This paper reports on findings from a pilot Shared Reading intervention, conducted in partnership with VMIAC in 2023, for people who have lived experience of mental distress in Victoria, Australia. Shared Reading is a form of interactive, creative bibliotherapy that combines the benefits of engaging with literature with those of taking part in a communal activity. In-depth interviews with participants revealed that multiple levels of recognition made this non-clinical activity therapeutic for participants. Utilising Honneth's theory of recognition, these findings expand conceptual understandings of the therapeutic effects of Shared Reading as a psychosocial intervention for people with experiences of mental distress.