‘It reminds us that humans are occupational beings and not diagnostics’: student perceptions of co-produced university mental health education in Australia

There are global shifts in mental health service provision, with calls to transition from a biomedical, deficit-based approach to a recovery-orientated, strength-based model of care. Progression towards such a mental health system in Australia has been slow and uneven, with negative attitudes from health professionals cited as a major barrier to the shift. It is argued that university curricula preparing students for the clinical workforce has not kept pace with the significant change in epistemological positioning and skillset required of contemporary professionals. The current preparation of clinical graduates for the Australian mental health workforce is a complex integration of university studies and clinical placements. A recent innovation involves academics and people with lived experience of using mental health services (hereinafter referred to as ‘consumers’) co-creating the theoretical component in university classrooms. Academic perspectives indicate this type of education enhances the learning experience; however, student perceptions of co-produced education are largely unknown. The present research aims to address that gap. This qualitative study investigated Australian occupational therapy student perceptions of a mental health unit co-produced by a ‘consumer educator’ and an occupational therapy academic. Two focus groups were held one week after the teaching intervention ( n = 13) at an Australian university in a capital city. Thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) Piqued curiosity (2) Clarified scope of practice (3) Reduced fear (4) Enhanced empathy and (5) Promoted humanistic approach . Students showed more interest in mental health work and willingness to engage with consumers and described a clearer understanding of their scope of practice. These results support prior research which claims co-produced mental health university education improves student clinical readiness to practice in mental health settings. It deserves broader implementation and evaluation as a teaching methodology across all health disciplines. We recommend finding ways to expose students to a range of consumers from different backgrounds in addition to the consumer educator via community partnerships. Co-produced higher education is a catalyst for transformative learning and, at present, an unrealized vehicle of social change.