Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Education as change - Liberation from mental illness and self-stigma in favour of empowerment

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

The article examines how adult education can operate as a changing and liberating process for adults living with long-term mental illness, with particular attention to empowerment and the reduction of self-stigma. Based on semi-structured interviews with 22 participants in Life-knowledge and Creative courses at a Swedish Folk High School, it identifies five themes: meaningful social context, self-awareness through non-violent communication, creating as rehabilitation, improved everyday functioning, and expanded horizons of hope. The findings indicate that the Folk High School learning environment can increase present well-being and positively shift participants’ self-stigma, especially where social stigma is not reproduced.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Folk High School

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 62, Number 1, April 2022 Education as change: Liberation from mental illness and self-stigma in favour of empowerment Joel Hedegaard Martin Hugo The purpose of this article is to describe how education can serve as a changing and liberating process for adults with long-term mental illness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants in Life-knowledge and Creative courses at a Swedish Folk High School. Five themes emerged in the interviews: (i) A meaningful social context – to undergo change with others; (ii) Self-awareness via non-violent communication – to change one’s self-image; (iii) Creating as rehabilitation – change through aesthetic learning processes; (iv) To function better in everyday life – to receive confirmation of change; (v) Opportunity horizons – to change hope for the future. The conclusion is that the Folk High School environment and the educational courses can contribute to an increased sense of well-being in the present. The liberating process primarily impacts the participants’self-stigma positively as long as this takes place in environments where the participants have experience of not being exposed to social stigma, either at home or at the Folk High School. The participants do not entertain future life plans that extend beyond the context of Folk High School, but when examined in the light of their situation before they 98 Joel Hedegaard and Martin Hugo enrolled at Folk High School, the liberating process is still noticeable. Keywords: empowerment, Folk High School, liberating education, mental illness, self-stigma Introduction This article focuses on the Folk High School and its role in the recovery of adults who suffer from long-term mental illness and their increased participation in society.Mental illness is a generic term that includes mild psychological illness and psychiatric disorders.Irrespective of the nature of the mental illness, it often entails that the person who suffers from such illness experiences difficulties in functioning in their everyday life, especially concerning their relationships and work-life (Tudor, 1996).In the EU, it is reported that, on average, 11 per cent of the population suffers from a psychological illness. The same figure of 11 percent is reported in Sweden, too (OECD & European Commission, 2020).Conversely, 87 percent of the Swedish population claimed that they enjoyed ‘good’or ‘very good’psychological health in 2020 (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2021) . In addition to the suffering that this level of mental illness or lack of psychological well-being entails for individuals, the social cost incurred by psychological illnesses in 2010 was 10,900 billion Swedish Krona (direct and indirect costs included) within the OECD.This cost is expected to rise to 26,400 billion Swedish Krona in 2030 (Bloom et al., 2011). At the Folk High School studied, they offer so-called Livskunskaps-och Skaparkurser [Life-knowledge and Creative courses], which are aimed at adults with long-term mental illnesses.These people are often on sick leave during extended periods and find themselves isolated from the rest of society and experience great difficulty in re-entering the labour market. In each course that is offered, 16 places are allocated for participants, and when a participant leaves the course, the vacant spot can be immediately filled by a new participant. Consequently, enrolment in a particular course may not be constant during the duration of the course.The courses are time-tabled for a couple of days per week. Creative activities of various types are offered in the Creative courses, including image creation, drawing, sculpture, painting, paint mixing, Education as change: Liberation from mental illness and self-stigma in favour of empowerment 99 and ceramics. In the Life-knowledge courses, we find various activities that include philosophy, existential questions, and the participants’self-awarene

FAQs

What is the article’s main purpose and target group?

It describes how education can work as a changing and liberating process for adults with long-term mental illness, focusing on empowerment and recovery-related participation in society.

How was the study conducted and what was the data source?

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants enrolled in Life-knowledge and Creative courses at a Swedish Folk High School.

What key themes emerged from participants’ interviews?

Five themes emerged: meaningful social context, self-awareness via non-violent communication, creating as rehabilitation through aesthetic learning processes, better everyday functioning with confirmation of change, and opportunity horizons for hope about the future.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran