GET TO KNOW STEVE
Having battled with mental illness since his late teens, experiencing the painful depths of Depression, destructive highs of Bipolar Disorder, and heart-breaking episodes of Suicidal Ideation and attempts, Steve has repeatedly had to fight for his life. Against the backdrop of psychological abuse from his parents and siblings Steve has continued to display grit and determination as he overcomes the obstacles and pitfalls that accompany life with a serious mental illness.
As a Dual-Ethnicity child, with a Black father and a white mother, growing up in a largely white neighbourhood, Steve grew up not ‘fitting in’. As he grew older Steve became aware of the role racial discrimination had in the high rates of serious mental illness on his father’s side of the family. It is his personal and familial experiences which drive Steve’s work.
Steve was awarded an OBE in 2019 Queens’ Birthday Honours List for services to Mental Health.
Anti-Racism Work
Steve has made it his life’s work to tackle racism and support organisations and leaders to become Anti Racism organisations. In addition to setting up an Anti Racism Leader Coaching business, Steve’s contributions include:
Challenging perceptions of Black men’s mental health
With an audience of 1.7 million, Men’s Health magazine interviewed Steve alongside three others including David Harewood OBE, about the experiences of Black Men in mental health crisis and why change is needed.
Supporting development of workplace Anti Racism
In direct response to the murder of George Floyd and the discrimination that subsequent discussions uncovered, Kooth PLC commissioned Steve to provide support and challenge to the senior management team on issues of racial equity and justice, and to chair the organisation’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Reducing racial discrimination in mental health care
Steve co-chairs the innovative NHS Race & Health Observatory’s Mental Health Working Group, investing in research to transform the mental health experiences of Black and historically racialised people.
The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework:
A model to reduce mental health inequity in England and Wales – Steve harnessed his personal, familial and community experiences of using mental health services, alongside his frustrations of working with NHS organisations, resistant to change, in the development of the framework.
Improving Mental Health Care
Like so many others Steve started out as a Time to Change Champion, volunteering with others to engage in conversations about mental health with members of the public.
A natural networker Steve went on to forge key relationships with sector leaders locally and nationally, and it wasn’t long before Steve was working with national organisations, leading to the following achievements:
Promoting the value and importance of Living Experience Leadership
Steve is a national expert in the field, his work including roles with Mind, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Think Ahead.
Reforming the Mental Health Act
As one of three Vice-Chairs to the Independent Mental Health Act Review Steve worked collaboratively with the Department of Health Social Care and core review team, supporting the chair in making recommendations to the Government, with a particular focus on reducing racial inequity.
Developing Population-Level Mental Health approaches
As the principal Living Experience Commission member to the West Midlands Combined Authority Mental Heath Commission, Steve was instrumental in ensuring the Thrive Action Plan was co-produced with local citizens.
Digitising the Mental Health Act
An advisor to Thalamos Steve guides implementation of a Lived Experience by Design approach, ensuring digital solutions that centre the experiences of people subject to the Act.
Academic Research
Steve regularly contributes to research programmes drawing on his extensive understanding of mental health systems and power differentials between professionals and service users, most recently the ARIADNE Programme and AdStAc study.
Charity Governance
In the 4 years served as a non-executive director to Mind, and his on-going term with the Association of Mental Health Providers Steve has guided boards through the turmoil of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the paradigm shift resulting from the Black Lives Matters movement.
Suicide Prevention Work
A Suicide Attempt Survivor, Steve has spent many months contemplating taking his life. Recognising the gap in representation from Black Men with experience of suicide ideation, Steve has collaborated with leading experts to further policy and research into the issue, including:
Academic commentator
Working with clinical researchers from Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Steve developed guidance to help clinicians identify and treat patients at risk of suicide.
Keynote Speaker
ISteve excels at delivering Keynote Speeches, sensitively exploring the pain and trauma of getting support for suicidal behaviour, emphasising the roles communities can play in saving a life.
Enhancing collaboration with Suicide Attempt Survivors
Steve featured in a video series discussing various topics on the area of working with people with lived experience and collaboration between different agencies.
