The Lived Experience Worker Paradox
Richard Hendrie
??Chair of Consumer, Carer and Community Council NSW Ministry of Health, Non-Executive Director, NSW MH Commission 2024 Community Champion RU, 2025 Albury Citizen of the Year, Living with PTSD and DID. Opinions my own ??
The barber paradox, which presents a barber who shaves only those who do not shave themselves, illustrates a self-referential contradiction: if the barber shaves himself, he should not, and if he does not shave himself, he should. This paradox highlights the impossibility of the barber's existence due to the inherent logical contradiction in the definition of his role.
Can this paradox can be related to the role of a lived experience mental health worker through a similar self-referential issue?
For a mental health worker who draws on their personal experiences to support others, their effectiveness hinges on their own mental well-being. If the worker neglects their own mental health and self-care, they undermine their ability to help others effectively. Just as the barber’s role leads to a contradiction if he cannot exist in a coherent way, a mental health worker who does not practice self-care faces a paradox: their capacity to assist others is compromised if they do not maintain their own mental health.
In essence, the lived experience mental health worker must engage in self-care to effectively help others, mirroring the barber paradox's logical contradiction. If the worker neglects their own needs, they paradoxically become part of the group they aim to support, thus undermining their role. Therefore, just as the barber cannot exist without resolving the paradox, a mental health worker cannot fulfil their role without prioritising their own mental health.
I dont know....
Love
R and Hx
Writer / Storyteller / Lived Experience Workforce & Advocacy
5 个月There’s an old adage, ‘you teach what you need to learn’ which I think really applies here. Sometimes what we are telling our clients is something we need to hear ourselves or remind ourselves of. It’s part of the journey of the wounded healer.
Lecturer, Credentialed Mental Health Nurse, human. My opinions are my own and do not represent any professional body.
6 个月This is perhaps only if you see value in the experience of individuals when they meet the arbitrarily set threshold of "well". I, as someone with a lived experience, and who works as a counsellor, see tremendous value daily in the stories of those who come to see me. While most would self-identify as some form of normative "unwell" considering they're seeking support - I would beg to differ that they're "unwell" at all. Wellness and unwell-ness are not a binary but are at the very least on a spectrum. There is no need for an arbitrary line that determines when a person's story becomes no longer valuable to others. That's a story we've been told - it's the dominant narrative, that you MUST be "well" to help others. I call BS.
Founder | Counsellor | Consultant | Lived Experience Advocate | National & State Board & Advisory Member | Accredited Social Worker (AASW) | PhD Researcher | MBA (Distinction) | Views My Own
6 个月Love it!
Mental Health Advocate & Consultant @ Simon Katterl Consulting | Supporting humane mental health systems
6 个月I've never heard of this paradox! I really appreciate reading this. A great way to frame the challenges in our work.