Could you be an expert by experience at our next Information Forum meeting?

What are Information Forum meetings?

Every 3 months Mind holds an Information Forum meeting at our offices in Stratford where we discuss the information that is due to be updated soon.

These meetings are a chance for us to talk through the user feedback we have received on this topic and what sorts of changes to the information we need to make to ensure it is up-to-date, relevant and as useful to people as possible.

What topics are we covering this time?

At our next meeting we will be discussing:

• talking therapy and counselling
• complementary and alternative therapies
• arts and creative therapies
• mindfulness
• nature and mental health
• food and mood.

If you have experience of one or more of these, we'd love to hear from you!

What's involved?

• We will send you our current information on these topics before the meeting and ask you to have a bit of read over of it, so that you have some idea of what we already provide on these topics.
• During the meeting you will have an opportunity to contribute to discussions about what could be better about this info, further research that may need to be done and anything that you feel from your personal experience would be useful to input.
• The sessions take the format of an informal discussion group, with a maximum of around twelve Mind staff attending. We are a friendly bunch so the atmosphere is really informal and we'll do everything we can to make you feel welcome and comfortable!
• We are happy to discuss any support or reasonable adjustments that you need in order to take part, so please feel free to mention this in your application if relevant.

We pay £100 plus your travel, and up to £7 in lunch expenses for the day. We can also book your travel up for you if you would prefer this, so you don’t need to worry about organising or paying for anything in advance.

What skills do I need?

To take part, the following skills are useful:

• personal experience of the topics we are covering (essential)
• happy contributing to group discussions
• ability to be open and honest about your experiences
• ability to talk about your experiences in a way that feels safe to you
• ability to consider ways in which our information could be improved
• readiness to give feedback on the experience of taking part so that we can constantly look to improve how we run these groups

When you fill out the application form, you can tell us how you meet this description. You may want to keep a copy of this page open so you can look at it when filling out the application form.

You must be over 18 to apply.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of people, and are happy to talk about support we can offer to help you participate.

"Although, admittedly, a little scary at first I was soon put at ease by the genuine warmth, compassion and willingness to understand by those I addressed. I feel proud that I have been able to give a little back in return for all the help and support I have received over the years."

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