Becca has joined a new project, led by Dr Wendy Masterton at the Unversity of Stirling, which aims to develop, and then begin the processes of testing, a nature based programme designed for people with lived experience of poor mental health and problem substance use.

With rising levels of poor mental health and substance-related harm, there is increasing pressure on treatment and recovery services to deliver support to people with varying needs while limiting costs. Research suggests that greenspace programmes are effective in supporting people with co-existing poor mental health and substance use challenges because of the therapeutic effect of nature, learning new skills, feelings of purpose, increased physical activity, and improved relationships and increased social interactions. However, there are still key knowledge gaps which limit the delivery of good quality services that can benefit people. 

The new Chief Scientist Office funded study, led by University of Stirling and in collaboration with University of Exeter, University of the Highlands and Islands, and Venture Trust, will explore if and why programmes are successful from the perspective of people with lived experience of poor mental health and problem substance use (PSU). It will also identify what post-programme support should look like, and what outcomes could be gathered to show the benefits of programmes.

This information will enable a new intervention framework for greenspace programmes for people with poor mental health and PSU to be developed (Phase 1). Service users, staff, and other stakeholders will then be consulted about the new intervention’s acceptability and feasibility (Phase 2). Finally, a manual synthesising study findings will be developed and distributed during knowledge exchange events (Phase 3). This will provide guidance for service providers on how to develop an acceptable and feasible greenspace intervention for people with poor mental health and PSU.