Monday 18 July 2016

Taking Early Intervention in Psychosis to Africa

Community Psychiatric Nurse Tammy Palmer is traveling to Zimbabwe later this year to develop a pilot Early Intervention in Psychosis service.  Here, she talks about her motivation and hopes for the project and why she is embarking on the trip...

Working with the Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Team has really shaped my life and passions within mental health nursing. I’ve worked with and seen so many young people experiencing psychosis for the first time and have been so privileged to be part of a team who help those young people, along with their families, to discover that there is a hope and a future, despite this really scary experience that can have so much stigma attached to it. It’s so inspiring, watching someone go from feeling extremely nervous and distrusting of themselves and others around them, to developing a new sense of confidence, supporting others, and moving on to succeed in their lives… so much so, that I have been inspired to take this specialist way of working to Zimbabwe - the place where I was born.