Professor Hel Spandler
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Professor Hel Spandler (they/she) has a particular interest and expertise in critical approaches to the theory, practice, policy, history and politics of mental health care. Their work is located within the emerging field of Mad Studies.
Professor Spandler currently holds a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award to explore the role of radical mental health zines (MadZines) in crafting contention about madness and distress. They are also the Editor of Asylum: the radical mental health magazine and one of the editors of the new International Journal of Mad Studies. They are also a Research Degrees Tutor in the school.
Hel joined the School of Social Work as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in May 2004. Before then, they worked for several years in the mental health field, mainly in a service user involvement / advocacy capacity. They are the author of numerous books and articles in the field including Madness, Distress and the Politics of Disablement (Policy Press, 2015); Beyond Fear and Control: working with young people who self-harm (PCCS Books, 2007) Asylum to Action (2006); and Who's Hurting Who? (42nd Street, 1996). They organised an event here in 2019 about 'new' gender identities in sport and produced a booklet for sports organisations about including non-binary gendered people in sport.
- PhD Critical Psychology. Manchester Metropolitan University, 2002
- MA Psychiatry, Philosophy and Society. Sheffield University, 1994
- BA (hons) by Independent Study (East London, 1992)
- Post Grad Cert. Research Student Supervision, UCLan, 2007
- Manchester Course in Group Psychotherapy, Institute of Group Analysis, 1997
- Hel was lead author of a co-authored article ‘Exploring the case for truth and reconciliation in mental health services’ published in the Mental Health Review Journal which was selected as Outstanding Paper in the 2018 Emerald Literati Awards.
- Radical mental health zines
- Post war histories of psychiatry and the psychiatric survivor movement
- The development of Mad Studies
- Social Movements, political activism and social change
- Grassroots truth and reconciliation initiatives
- Sport, gender and mental health
- Therapeutic communities and non-medicalised crisis alternatives
- Managing Editor: Asylum: the radical mental heath magazine. www.https://asylummagazine.org/
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- Psychosocial Research Unit
- Institute for Citizenship Society and Change
- Funded research projects (since 2010)
- 'Crafting Contention: the role of zines in contesting mental health knowledge and practice' Wellcome Trust, Investigator Award in Humanities and Social Science, 2020-2023
- Hidden from history?: the psychiatric treatment of lesbian, bisexual and gender non-conforming women (1952-1990) (with Sarah Carr), 2018-19. Wellcome Trust, Seed Award, in Humanities and Social Science
- Crafting Psychiatric Contention: Asylum: the magazine for democratic psychiatry (1986-2016). 2017. Wellcome Trust, Research Bursary Award, 2017-18
- Landscapes of Helping: exploring informal support in Hebden Bridge (with red Consultancy) Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2013-2015
- Mutual Recovery and creative practice (with Lydia Lewis). AHRC
- Evaluation of the 'It’s a Goal!' football and mental health Programme. North West Mental Health Improvement Programme, 2010-2012
- Evaluation of Self Directed Support Pilot Sites in Scotland: (with Julie Ridley) Scottish Government.
Telephone:+44 (0)1772 893416
Email: Email:Professor Hel Spandler
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