Empowering Minds Podcast: The Psychosocial Model of Mental Health | Episode 10
What is the Psychosocial Model of Mental Health?
In a society constantly focused on the demands of fast-paced environments and productivity, the significance of mental health and mental well-being cannot be overstated. For decades, Mental Health Europe has researched the impact of societal norms, institutional practices and legislation on people’s mental health and mental health rights. Mental Health Europe advocates for a shift from a biomedical to a psychosocial approach to mental health.
The psychosocial model understands mental health as the dynamic interplay of diverse factors, including socio-economic background, education level, challenging or traumatic life events, and the surrounding environment. Rather than concentrating on an individual’s alleged predisposition to mental health issues, this model focuses on the barriers that each person faces throughout their life, the resulting impact on their mental health, and the tools and support needed to overcome these challenges.
This podcast episode aims at explaining the psychosocial model using accessible language, with the ultimate goal of destigmatising mental health discussions and fostering a nuanced understanding of mental health.
The guests
- Bob Grove, PhD
Bob is Honorary Adviser to Mental Health Europe of which he has been a member since it was founded. He lives and has worked mainly in the UK, retiring as CEO of the Centre for Mental Health (formerly the Sainsbury Centre) in 2011. His particular area of interest is mental health and employment where he was both a researcher and a service provider for over 25 years. He has also worked on deinstitutionalisation programmes in Greece and other parts of mainland Europe.
- Fatima Awil, Mental Health Europe’s Policy & Knowledge Officer
Fatima is Mental Health Europe’s Policy and Knowledge Officer. She has a background in human rights research, policy and advocacy with NGOs. Before joining Mental Health Europe, Fatima worked as the Advocacy and Policy Officer forEnd Female Genital Mutilation European Network. As well as being an intersectional feminist, Fatima is an experienced speaker and advocate, with over nine years of experience in advocacy and campaigning. Fatima holds a BA (Hons) in Law and Human Rights, and an LLM in International Law and International Relations.
About Empowering Minds Podcast
Empowering Minds is a podcast by Mental Health Europe featuring conversations with mental health experts, psychologists and psychiatrists, practitioners and people with lived experience. Mental health is approached from an intersectional perspective, addressing the stigma around this topic and empowering the listeners on their mental health journey.
If you missed the episodes, visit our Anchor page where you will find all the platforms where the podcast is available. You can always listen to Empowering Minds on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also find all the episodes on our website.
