Hel Spandler

Hel Spandler is a Professor of Mental Health Studies in the School of Social Work, Care and Community at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where she has held academic positions since 2004, progressing from Post Doctoral Research Fellow to Professor. She previously worked at King's College London as a Research Associate. Her work is centered on critical mental health, user-led research, and social justice.

• PhD in Psychology and Speech Pathology, Manchester Metropolitan University (2002)
• MA in Psychiatry, Philosophy and Society, University of Sheffield (1994)
• BA (Hons) by Independent Study, University of East London (1989–1991)

Her research focuses on mental health recovery, arts in mental health, psychiatric survivor movements, LGBTQ+ mental health, and the politics of madness and disability. She advocates for participatory, mutual, and non-medicalized approaches to well-being, emphasizing lived experience and social inclusion. Her work often critiques institutional psychiatry and explores alternatives such as Soteria and minimal-medication models.

The 15 most recent publications reveal a strong trend toward critical, interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of mental health, social justice, and the humanities. Key themes include existential psychiatry, truth and reconciliation in mental health, lesbian and bisexual women’s historical trauma, football as therapy, and artistic expression in recovery. These works are published in journals like History of the Human Sciences, Feminism & Psychology, and Journal of Mental Health, as well as in influential edited collections.

• Contributor to Wellcome-funded research on sexualities and mental health
• Active in promoting user-led and participatory research methodologies
• Collaborates extensively with scholars such as Sarah Carr, Mick McKeown, and Philip Thomas

Hel Spandler has not received any explicitly mentioned scientific awards in the provided text. She is affiliated with no named labs or teams, but her collaborative work suggests participation in research collectives focused on critical mental health and social inclusion.