An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study exploring the experience of Support Workers working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services teams

This thesis explores the experiences and sense making, of support workers employed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Support workers play a vital role in delivering frontline mental health care, yet their voices are often underrepresented in research and workforce planning. The study aims to understand how these staff make sense of their professional role, challenges, and contributions within multidisciplinary teams. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five support workers across four CAMHS settings. Data were analysed ideographically and thematically to capture participants’ meaning-making processes. A psychoanalytic perspective underpins this research providing the lens through which data were analysed and interpreted. Organisational dynamics within CAMHS teams are considered from a psychoanalytic perspective in relation to the research questions and findings. The findings highlight three overarching themes: (1) The challenges of establishing a professional identity and sense of belonging within a clinical hierarchy, (2) the tension between the dual senses of feeling valued and lacking worth, and (3) the emotional labour of working with high-risk and vulnerable young people. This study contributes to the limited literature on unregistered clinical support staff in CAMHS, offering insights for workforce and role development, enhanced role support and utilisation, and the integration of support worker perspectives into service planning and policy.