Abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate how people with serious
mental illness perceived the experience of volunteering for the health care
organisation in which they had received a service. The study took a qualitative
approach and in phase one, eleven service user volunteers were purposefully
sampled and interviewed. In depth interviews were analysed using grounded
theory. This paper describes the findings from phase one, and highlights the
following themes to represent the volunteering experience: 1) rehearsing for a
new direction; 2) treading carefully at first; 3) discovering my new self; and,
4) using my experience and extending relationships. These themes further
support a tentative theoretical framework that considers supported volunteering
to enhance recovery because it fosters positive risk taking and gives
individuals a valued identity that integrates their mental health experience.
In phase two, this framework will be tested with service users in more diverse
volunteer positions. The findings of my study suggest that mental health
services are in a unique position to build partnerships with service users to
support their recovery and journeys toward employment by providing
opportunities for volunteering.
