The voices of carers across our Trust are being put front and centre with the launch of a set of unique videos.
Members of our early intervention in psychosis team (EIP) have worked with carers of all ages and a professional director to co-create the five powerful films.
The videos are to be used both nationally and internationally to highlight the importance of carer voice when treating people with mental health struggles.
“We wanted to spread the word on the amazing work unpaid carers do on a daily basis,” said family therapist Alix Bower, who helped develop the videos.
“The carers we work with were keen to have their voices heard, and the result is a series of hard-hitting, powerful and very moving films.”
First film success
The EIP team co-created its first film back in 2022, which focussed on the experiences of families affected by psychosis and the benefits of family therapy.
The film debuted to wide-spread praise and has been used to encourage families experiencing psychosis to think about the benefits of family therapy interventions.
“When I first started working in EIP, there was a cultural resistance to family intervention, so we looked at ways of trying to change these perceptions,” said Alix.
“We could see families were finding benefit in interventions, and realised their voices could help spread a positive message. So, we asked if they’d make a film with us.
“It was a real success and has helped many people. But, listening back later, we realised that something was missing. That something was the voice of our carers.”
Developing further films
The families featured in the original film were asked if they wanted to help co-create further videos, with the focus of the first film being on the role played by adult carers.
Alix and her team then spent over a year talking to young carers about their lives, and exploring their views and ideas, before work on the other four videos began.
“I was concerned that, as a service, we just didn’t think about young carers enough, and the effect that mental health difficulties in a family can have on them,” said Alix.
“On the surface, a lot of the time the lives of young carers look no different to other children. But, in reality, there is a lot of other stuff going on and that can get missed.
“Some young people call caring an extra responsibility, others call it an additional burden. We wanted to listen to them, and make sure that their voices are heard.”
Looking to the future
The five films are now to be embedded into our website, for public viewing, as well as shared across the NHS nationally and with mental health teams around the world.
They are also being used by a national family interventions provider, as well as health care providers in Canada and Ghana, to highlight the importance of carers.
“Carers of all ages, from young children to teens and adults, lent their voices and personal experiences to help create these incredibly powerful films,” said Alix.
“It was very important to everyone that the films were created by carers, for carers. Lived experience is a very powerful tool is sharing an important message.
“The families and carers we worked with all want to make a difference – and they are. This has been a truly inspirational project.”
- We will be uploading all five of the EIP films this week. Watch the first film, featuring the experiences of adult carers across the North East, via this link.
