Joanna Smith

Position

CLAHRC Fellow 2015

About

Jo is a clinical psychologist and CAT practitioner, currently working in a community adult mental health service in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). She has also worked for a specialist neurorehabilitation service for adults with acquired brain injury. She has a particular interest in compassion focused therapy and is working towards becoming an accredited EMDR practitioner, having completed initial training. Jo has co-authored publications on experiences of stress and coping in mental health staff and in therapy process research in the context of computerised CBT for depression. NSFT is a pilot site for the national Implementing Recovery through Organisational Change (ImROC) programme in mental health services. This involves the integration of Peer Support Workers; people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, to help drive forward recovery focused practice. Jo is part of a working group in NSFT tasked with researching and evaluating recovery orientated practices as part of this programme. Jo’s project for her CLAHRC fellowship is titled: A qualitative investigation into Mental Health Peer Support Workers’ Professional Developmental Journey: Peer support worker and traditional mental health staff perspectives. This research aims to further define the role of PSWs, their retention, PSW activity, and support processes, to ensure integration is optimally positive for PSWs and the teams in which they work