The need to improve support for mental health is clear, and the fact that there are benefits of involving
people with lived expertise in both research and clinical practice is well recognized. However, the challenge,
is in finding HOW to share and learn from lived expertise in ways that maximise positive impacts and
minimize any harms on everyone involved. In this talk, we will reflect on what is meant by lived expertise,
who has it, and how it differs to professional expertise. We will consider current opportunities for people to
share their lived expertise, and consider the strengths and limitations of these different models. We will
explore in more depth the potential of two relatively new and growing roles: peer moderators of online
forums, and living books within a living library. Finally we will reflect on the methodological challenges of
evaluating the impacts of lived expertise in health and social care organisations, and describe why a realist
approach may be more suitable than a more traditional randomized controlled trial design.