The people
The Co-Directors of ARW are Roberta & Andrew Wetherell both of whom have proven track records in mental health training and development work
Roberta Wetherell
A founding member and former National Co-ordinator of the United Kingdom Advocacy Network
& Founder Chairperson of
the European Network of Users and Ex-Users in Mental Health, Roberta was also a member of the NHS Executive's Mental
Health Task Force User Group, The National Users and Carers Group and has sat on a number of advisory committees both
to the U.K. Government and the European Parliament. She has previously managed and now develops advocacy services. Her
work has been published and covers advocacy, training packs and research for The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
where she was an associate trainer until 2006. Although she has published many articles, reports and chapters, her
favourite publication was an evaluation of an assertive outreach project, this reviewed the quality of life of people
using the project. She now runs a freelance mental health training & development consultancy with her husband, Andrew.
Roberta is currently a Mental Health Act Manager and also has specialist knowledge about service user participation in
secure mental health services. Roberta has also, with Andrew, developed a very flexible model of
service user evaluation which can be used to monitor and evaluate service quality with any client group. The model has been used in Forensic, Acute
and Community settings. Roberta has also participated on the Government's advisory group reviewing the changes to the
Care Programme Approach.
Brief Strengths C.V.
Roberta was a researcher and trainer with The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health pilot projects into Case Management in 1991 and during this time she became aware of "The Strengths Model Approach" (developed by Charlie Rapp in the U.S.A.) and has since worked (mainly with Steve Morgan) in delivering training in respect of this model.
Some of the recipients of this training include:
- West Sussex Joint Agencies Training Initiative
- Various C.M.H.T. Staff in The Black Country
- Doncaster & South Humber Healthcare NHS Trust
Roberta is keen to encourage practitioners to use this model as she has seen from personal experience the significant benefits for service users and practitioners alike.
Andrew Wetherell
Andrew has worked in the U.K. Mental Health Service User Movement since early 1994 and his work has included
developing self-help support initiatives and managing advocacy services. He was Chairperson of the United Kingdom
Advocacy Network (1997 ~ 1998) and was a member of the Government's Independent Reference Group. During 1998
& 1999,
Andrew worked for the NHS Executive and was responsible for service user participation at Ashworth, Broadmoor
& Rampton
High Security Hospitals. Until March, 2000, he worked with the Hamlet Trust developing service user initiatives in
Central & Eastern Europe. He now runs a freelance mental health training & development consultancy with his wife,
Roberta. Andrew was also an Associate Trainer with The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health from 1997 to 2006.
Brief Risk C.V.
Andrew was trained by Steve Morgan (formerly Practice Development Manager for Risk ~ The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health) and since June 2000 has delivered various clinical risk assessment & management workshops to the whole range of mental health practitioners.
Some of the recipients of this training include:
- Newham Community Health Services NHS Trust
- Hounslow and Spelthorne Community and Mental Health NHS Trust
- West Sussex Joint Agencies Training Initiative
- Conwy & Denbighshire Mental Health Services
- The Firarage Hospital NHS Trust
- West London Mental Health NHS Trust
As well as one and two-day practitioner workshops, Andrew delivers a one-day workshop on "Assessing & Managing Risk in Mental Health" for the London-based conference & training organisation "GateHouse". He also has broad experience of delivering "Training the Trainer" programmes for practitioners to enable sustainable local ongoing risk training.
ARW has a "pool" of service user consultants / trainers and associate consultants from professional mental health and social care backgrounds. For specific details of our personnel, please contact the ARW office.