Whilst I'm always a little disappointed that fellowship never seems to mean I get to band together with mythical peoples to take a mysterious ring to Mount Doom, I am pleased to have been successful in my application to become a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Speaking with someone who's in pain is very hard. You long for something to do or say that'll lessen the pain. Feels so wrong to not 'DO SOMETHING', & it's easy to get drawn into problem-solving. Takes a lot of gentle strength to 'be with', to sit alongside, to seek to understand 'what is it like?'.

I leave Malta this morning, having been welcomed by mental health nursing colleagues as I opened their annual conference with a keynote, and delivered some teaching around 'personality disorder' and mentalization to hospital staff. Interesting that challenges for MH nursing are similar.

Enjoyed connecting with international colleagues at the mental health nursing leaders summit in Barcelona. The plan is to establish an international council for mental health nursing, and my heart is fully behind this project, but my head wonders how it will work and what impact it can have.

The 40th anniversary of 'Commando' (1985), shown in Dundee, for 2 quid, with proceeds going to charity, and a facilitated discussion on men's mental health following the film? 30th November 12pm, all of your dreams come true. www.citizenticket.com/events/scott...

The 40th anniversary of 'Commando' (1985), shown in Dundee, for 2 quid, with proceeds going to charity, and a facilitated discussion on men's mental health following the film? 30th November 12pm, all of your dreams come true. www.citizenticket.com/events/scott...

Important all UK nurses feedback. As a mental health nurse, I feel the NMC has no vision for the field, and would be happy to let it silently die. It is difficult for me to donate to a cause which I do not believe supports the work I do #MHDeservesBetter www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/con...

The 'conceptual black hole of borderline personality disorder': how can BPD be not real mental illness but too unstable for therapy, described as not personality disorder but treated as only personality disorder, and also, borderline of what? Open access: doi.org/10.1080/0161...

"We intervene to prevent suicide, yet in doing so might restrict an individual's valued freedoms in some very complex ways. These consequences need to be considered as risks in themselves". A short comment piece to provoke thought and attention on relationships, not just risk.

Looking forward to this. Delighted to be invited by peers in Malta.

Sleep is very strange… @aeon.co aeon.co/essays/two-b...

Hello Bluesky. No one ever seems to see (or maybe they just don't care about) my posts. Is it because I don't use hashtags? #PsychiatricDiagnosis #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #IdentityDisturbance

The 'conceptual black hole of borderline personality disorder': how can BPD be not real mental illness but too unstable for therapy, described as not personality disorder but treated as only personality disorder, and also, borderline of what? Open access: doi.org/10.1080/0161...

The Philosophy Bites podcast has had nearly 50 million unique episode downloads so far… philosophybites.com

It would indeed be interesting to know any future considerations by the @newsnmc.bsky.social from evidence such as this.

Kenwright et al: "MH nursing students reported the lowest levels of practice confidence... barriers to achieving proficiencies...exclusion of field-specific knowledge and skills, which devalued and threatened their professional identity". #MHDeservesBetter doi.org/10.1111/inm....

Enjoyed talking to mental health staff in Perth today, discussing the action/consequences model and the ethics of responding to risk when working with people diagnosed with 'personality disorder'. Anyone interested can see more from this webinar: youtu.be/sC3CVq10XCM?...

As an @rcn.org.uk member I get the @nursingstandard.bsky.social through the post each month. Claims to be your 'essential nursing journal', yet there is often little to no content around mental health. As a mental health nurse, that is what is essential.

In the past two weeks separate people have emailed me to say how much this resonated with them. When nurse education becomes futile. From late 2021, but still one of the best things I've written, and may resonate with you if you haven't seen it: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The model of-- work yourself into the ground & then recharge with some 'wellbeing' activities, is a con. It just serves the machine. It's not too much to ask to have meaningful work, connection with colleagues, a sense of belonging & congruence with your values. And workplaces that support this.

The despondency is real. Something is needed but there is perhaps a localised UK shift. The RCN indicate others beyond them have a view on this matter & in my belief ignore they have become the other (questions of whether they can be trusted on MH nursing). -perhaps a new union will fill the void.

I was at an RCN Mental Health Forum listening event this evening, and there is still a lot of discontent around mental health nurse education. I raised this issue at RCN congress in 2022, but it seems little has changed: youtu.be/xYwmZYthm5M?...

I saw a theme from a patient focus group was "we are signposted to death". I thought yeah that's awful, & then thought tbh our service does that too. We try to be helpful & find out what's going on for people but then sometimes the outcome is that a person's needs are best met in another service 1/4

Full response here regarding the press release on 'boost to mental health services' including new emergency mental health departments. The bits that didn't make it into the Nursing Times: mentalhealthdeservesbetter.wordpress.com/2025/07/03/r... #MentalHealth #NursingandMidwiferyCouncil #Nursing

Something we do well in Clinical Psychology is to have regular clinical supervision. It is just standard, normal, it's not 'if there's time' or a luxury. I see some of what nursing & medical colleagues work with every day & it amazes me they don't have reliable access to the same...

Yesterday was my last Scottish Personality Disorder Network conference as part of the executive group. Time poverty means I sadly cannot do everything I want to. (1/4)

Another talk about to start at #SPDN2025 Conference. “Empathy differences in borderline personality Disorder” by David Hayward

Intro to #SPDN2025 Conference

Final presentation of the day at #SPDN2025 “An exploration into the importance of mattering for people diagnosed with ‘borderline personality disorder’ “ by Dan Warrender and Sebastian Monteux

One afternoon talk during #SPDN2025 : “The actions/consequences model: considering the care of people diagnosed with personality disorder’ and working with risk ethically and effectively” by Dan Warrender

The NMC are a bit rubbish reason 2598. It they were to dissapear overnight, would the public be any worse off? www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

My #BIGSPD25 poster contribution, challenging the “BPD” diagnosis & current practice of using OOA placement. If you fancy a chuckle at my poor presentation skills give the central QR code a scan & I’ll talk at you for about 15 minutes 😉

Well that’s a wrap on #BIGSPD25 - great to see faces old and new, lots of food for thought. Can’t believe I actually made it - 8 days out of hospital after 8 months in, this was a difficult conference for me but the right decision to come! Thanks those that made it happen! @bigspd.bsky.social

A busy but enjoyable BIGSPD is over. I come away with new connections and ideas, some great feedback on my own presentation, and lovely to see some of Liverpool. #BIGSPD25

Our ability to function effectively as a clinical team is dependent on having the right admin & management support available. When this support is too stretched so many things go wrong- staff get stressed, patients wait longer. It's been such a false economy to make 'savings' by cutting these roles.

Of course more can be done, but positive reactions needed within the current constraints 🤔 alongside the need for ongoing challenge and debate more centrally.

Pleased to see this new paper I Co-authored with the fabulous colleagues and team I led at EHU now in print doi.org/10.12968/bjo... how we proactively addressed some of the concerns relating to the dilution of MH nurse educative ⬇️ #MHDeservesBetter @danwarrender.bsky.social might be of interest

Really relating to the ethical dilemmas of containing risk vs tolerating risk - having spent the recent past stuck on a hospital ward with a lot of clinician anxiety around risk leading to restrictive practices that removed my coping mechanisms (e.g running) and actually increased risk #BIGSPD25

Next up, @danwarrender.bsky.social presenting the Action/Consequences model. #bigspd25

Next up is the legendary @danwarrender.bsky.social speaking about "The action/consequences model: considering the care of people diagnosed with ‘personality disorder’ and working with risk ethically and effectively" Always excited to hear what Dan has to say... #BIGSPD25

‘All models are wrong some are useful’ great quote @danwarrender.bsky.social @bigspd.bsky.social #bigspd25

How much mental health do mental health services produce? Question for pondering from @danwarrender.bsky.social #BIGSPD25

Action consequences model @danwarrender.bsky.social @bigspd.bsky.social #bigspd25

The action/consequences model @danwarrender.bsky.social #BIGSPD25

Desensitisation to risk can lead to clinical complacency! Something to reflect upon from @danwarrender.bsky.social

@danwarrender.bsky.social likens containing risk as "holding jelly in the hands" A fab talk today - read more in his publication below: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #BIGSPD25

Really reflective and thoughtful presentation from @danwarrender.bsky.social @bigspd.bsky.social #bigspd25