Our Lived Experience Network

Our Lived Experience Network is a brand new, free, members based community open to those who have experienced their own mental distress, with the hope to make a positive difference to their lives in addition to influencing wider change in mental health social care!

In order to join, you must meet the following criteria:-
– Be aged 18 +
– Have your own lived experience of mental distress
– Have accessed any service in the UK to support your mental health

The launch of the network (30th June 2025) is a soft launch. This means, at this stage, we are only inviting people using Together services, staff members and volunteers of Together, to join in the first instance if they meet the criteria. We will be updating this page in the coming weeks when we will be extending the invitation to members of the public to join us who also meet the criteria!

At Together we understand the importance of building connections with individuals who have experienced mental distress to ensure we achieve our commitment to service user leadership in a way that truly values the experiences of people who have lived through mental distress and have accessed mental health support.

We hope that through building a new network, we will be able to achieve the following:-

– Increase the pool of individuals with lived experience of mental distress that Together can collaborate with on strategic projects
– Increase opportunities for people experiencing mental distress to develop their knowledge, skills and strengths to support positive wellbeing
– Build relationships with other mental health social care partners to influence wider change
– Continue to demonstrate our commitment to empowering people with lived experience of mental distress to have a voice and draw on their experience; evidencing the positive impact of this through the outcomes we achieve via network opportunities

We want individuals to who sign up to the network to feel as though they are part of a community, experiencing meaningful and authentic connections with likeminded individuals.

The benefits and opportunities of your membership include the following:-

– Access to a brand new members area on our website where you can access exclusive content, get involved in discussions and create your own profile!
– Training and skill development to build confidence as a lived experience leader
– Both paid and unpaid opportunities
– Networking opportunities, including online and in-person events
– Opportunities to develop and review service design and delivery, including decision making regarding our models policies and practice

You will also receive a Members Handbook and an invite to a New Members Introductory Session once signed up!

We are excited to work with you – click here to sign up!